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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/stainbas on 2025-04-20 00:15:36+00:00.

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tl;dr: by sacrificing some "Instagrammable" spots you can stay sane and still see cool stuff; in Kyoto, consider staying in Fushimi Inari to get the most out of it:; Hiroshima was worth it.

I am paying it forward by writing a trip report since I learned a lot from this subreddit. Biographical details in the header (I am mom). Exact dates were April 11 to April 20.

Tokyo (4 nights): Flew into Narita and got into town via he Skyliner, which was very easy as we were staying near Ueno. We got welcome Suica cards, but if the line is long just consider paying the deposit for regular IC cards. I lost mine during the trip and found the Japanese IC card was more reliable at vending machines.

We stayed im a residential area between Ueno and Akihabara. I chose it because I figured the boys would love Akihabara. Turned out they did not. But Ueno was fantastic, including the park. Sakura were past peak but still abundant. Day 1 we did the fish market first thing in the morning, Asakusa, and Skytree. We walked from Asakusa to Skytree and it was great -;the park by the river was a highlight. Heights don't normally do much for me, but I appreciated Skytree. The boys also loved the mall there. We used the basement food court to get takeout shi and it was awesome. We passed out at 3 and never made it out to dinner.

Day 2 was Shibuya and Harakuju. This was our toughest day because it was raining all day and a Sunday so everyone was out and about. We were underwhelmed with both places (Harakuju was a zoo, even on side streets), but the weather probably didn't help. My 14 yo and I went to Akihabara that night. He was troubled by all the women advertising bars. Not our thing.

Day 3 was Disney Sea (Monday). We are big Disney fans so wanted to experience the Japanese take. Got there 1 hour before rope drop. By sacrificing any opportunity to do the frozen ride, taking advantage of single rider, and paying for a couple of priority passes, we managed to finish up by 3 or 4. We really enjoyed Disney Sea and while it was definitely Japanese, it was nice to be in an environment we were familiar with for a day.

Day 4: went to Koto to see the Gundam statue (I recommend) before taking the train to Kyoto. For those stressing about "oversized bags" like we did, we had one medium suitcase that was larger than a carryon but not gigantic. This fit fine in the overhead compartment. We paid for the green car but for the rest of the trip used the ordinary reserved car. We bought all tickets the night before or the same day using the SmartEX App and had no problems.

In Kyoto (3 nights), we rented a small house in the Fushimi Inari area, on the advice of Travel Caffeine This was possibly the best strategic decision we made the whole trip. We could visit the shrine early in the morning and late at night. We were close to the main line train station so could get to all the other places fine, and there were plenty of places to eat. When we talked with other westerners we ran into, they were not enjoying Kyoto because of the neverending crowds. We definitely saw crowds but did not have that same experience of feeling swarmed. We also decided to forego the Arashiyama forest and just focus on the east side of Kyoto, which was fine because Inari mountain has a beautiful grove. We hit the temples you're "supposed" to hit, but also went to Kennin-ji, which was a highlight. Nanin-ji's aquaduct was also super cool, and the Philosophers path was surprisingly now crowded.

Our Hiroshima stop was a happy accident - I had miscounted the days and realized we had a gap in our accommodations for one night. When I discovered that a week before or trip, our 16 yo asked to go to Hiroshima, so that's what I booked. It was a powerful experience. One night was sufficient, but that is because we chose not to do the island (again, sacrifices). We got the morning train back to Tokyo for one night and leave this afternoon. For this night we stayed in the onsen ryokan in Asakusa and it has been wonderful. We also appreciated the vibrant night vibe here.

That's about it. I hope this helps others.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/corruptedcircle on 2025-04-19 07:21:59+00:00.

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Did minimum planning beforehand (parents didn't want a concrete plan in case they need more rest), ended up checking this sub quite often to come up with ideas so figured I'll try to offer a little in return. Not much worth copying but might give people some ideas.

Parents are getting up there in age so this trip was meant to be more relaxing and slow-paced...But I'm unfit af so I was slowly dying by day 3 anyway lol oop. Steps recorded by an iPhone 10. Would recommend trying to fit in more bus transfers if you want to walk less.

0403 Arrival, Ueno Sakura at night Arrived at Narita at 3pm, met up with parents at about 5pm. Rushed to Ueno for sakura viewing at night because the night lights are only around till Apr 6 and we didn't know how much sakura flowers are left. It was lightly raining so it wasn't too crowded. Had dinner in Ameya yokocho, was crowded but didn't have to wait for seating. That seems to be the case for most places we ended up going--even though it'd be so crowded there's almost no space to walk, entry to restaurants or places that require an entrance fee are still aplenty. Steps: 13366

0404 Mount Fuji viewing tour This was one of the two things we booked beforehand, a one-day bus tour taking us to view Mount Fuji. It would have taken us up the mountain too but the roads were closed and the cable cars were too crowded (guess they can't book tickets beforehand for groups?). Boat trip in Kawaguchi-ko was still pretty nice, top of Mount Fuji still had snow on it while the bottom was blue which was THE perfect view of the mountain. Also took us to Asama (Sengen) jinja and Oshino Hakkai. Steps: 14261

0405 Ueno Tokyo National Museum Slower day to rest up, dad spent the day mostly in the hotel. Had a Japanese full-course lunch that took a while, and then decided to go back to Ueno because I wanted to visit the Tokyo National Museum. Spent maybe 3-4 hours in there? Also saw the sakura trees at Ueno Park again both in the daytime and at night, but it was a sunny day on a weekend so scarily crowded. Steps: 20083

0406 Shinjuku Gyoen Entered from the south to start with the sakura trees which were mostly full blossom still. Circled the park a bit and then walked back to Shinjiku for a late lunch, then checked out the department stores near Shinjiku station's South Exit which was further from the place we were staying. Steps: 13808

0407 Meiji Jingu, Harajuku Entered from Yoyogi side and walked across Meiji Jingu. Rested at a coffee shop for a bit after getting to Harajuku, then dad went back early and I walked around Harajuku and Omotesando with my mom. Spend a lot of time in Laforet because it's nostalgic for my mom and she also enjoyed checking out the current loli/goth fashion stuff, neither of us were really ever going to buy anything but still noticed that sizing is very limited. Also walked along a street nicknamed Cat Street and Takeshita dori. Steps: 17545

0408 Asakusa, Sumida gawa Walked from the outer Kaminarimon towards the temple, ate lunch somewhere near Nakamise-dori. Decided this was the day we tried out Kimono rental, takes like an hour to get hair and clothing done for women. Strolled around Senso-ji in kimonos, couldn't really walk fast anyway because I'm not really steady on my feet and found it difficult to walk in those slippers. After returning the rentals, we slowly walked alongside the Sumida river to the decking area for the second thing we actually booked--dinner on a yakatabune (the flat top boats with red lights hanging across) as it sailed along the river from Asakusa to the rainbow bridge and back. Steps: 13195

0409 Roppongi Mori Museum, Azabudai Another rest day for the dad and slow day in general, decided to go to Roppongi because I really wanted to fit in an art museum. Went with the Mori Museum because I saw it was a small viewing window to see Tokyo from up top, and I didn't want to pay another entry fee for just a sky view. Unfortunately I didn't really enjoy the exhibition that was on, although the atmosphere was still pretty good. I have fonder memories of the National Art Center though, and I think I'll choose to revisit that next time and just pay for a proper sky view. Walked towards Azabudai and somehow randomly met my grandma's family friend who was out with their family to buy a suit for their son, lol. Steps: 12111

0410 Kawagoe For once properly consulted the local tourist center and they recommended we take a bus towards Hikawa jinja and walk back towards the station. The river behind the temple had the best view of my entire trip--sakura petals covering the entire river while the trees above were still mostly covered in flowers. Then went to Honmaru Goten (skipped the museum and art museum after considering the time), I'm not really a history person but walking in an old Japanese style castle building was still fun. Then we circled back towards Kashiya Yokocho, which was not all that interesting if you're like me and not really into Japanese sweets. In comparison, the old buildings on Ichibancho were much more fun to look at, including the Toki no Kane of course. We continued on to a street named Taisho romantic dream street with Taisho era buildings, then parents continued in that direction back to the station while I went towards Hoshinoyama Mugenjuji Kitain, which was another old castle to walk around and I would recommend this over Honmaru Goten if you wanted to pick just one since it had more old artifacts laying around and included Tokugawa Iemitsu's birth room as well as a small labyrinth consisting of 540 Buddha statues. Senba Toshogu and Hiejinja are also nearby. Lastly went to Kawagoe Hachimangu which I can't say was all that different from all the other temples (sorry xd) but it said it specialized in foot and back health so I got some omamoris for the parents. Steps: 22189

0411 Shibuya Slow day, started the day late and only went to Shibuya. Visited Scramble Square, PARCO and 109. PARCO had a Nintendo, Pokemon store, Capcom and JUMP store which was all CROWDED (especially the Pokemon store!) but I joined the crowd anyway because how could I not. Mom enjoyed 109 because it had vibes she remembered more. Steps: 14804

0412 Tsukiji, Ginza Still tired, dad wanted oysters at Tsukiji so we decided that's all we'd do. Apparently the inner market moved to Toyosu, but the outer market remained as a tourist attraction and was still crowded. Then we walked towards the Kabuki-za in Ginza, but by the time we got there dad was tired so we took the train back to our hotel. At night my mom and I walked around Shinjiku and spent a lot of time at a drug store buying stuff to take home. Steps: 13193

0413 Shinjiku Actually started dying by this day so started the day even later, only walked around Shinjiku and checked out a couple more department stores. Found a lot of secondhand stores selling brand stuff but didn't have any good finds after comparing online prices. It was also a Sunday and weekends are terrifying when it comes to crowds. Steps: 8329

0414 Daiba I had strong memories of Daiba and really wanted to revisit. Mostly spent time in the department store buildings including DECKS, Aqua City and Diver City. Had lunch in the takoyaki "museum" (just an area with like 6 takoyaki places lol) in DECKS. Also really wanted to go into Joypolis since I had childhood memories of the place but didn't want to do the full thing, so I went for the evening admission that included 2 ride, while 60 years and older entered for free so my parents just went in with that lol. If you go with the evening ticket remember that most attractions close way before 7pm closing time so definitely hurry. Steps: 18996

0415 Ikebukuro Solo trip out for anime stuff. First went to a card store that had a Pokemon TCG tournament going, spent a bit more than an hour just checking out cards and observing the tournament from afar. Then went to K-books which had several buildings for different genres. Sunshine city was next, which had a Pokemon store that had mostly the same stuff as the Shibuya one but was much less crowded. I have childhood memories of Namja Town so I had to go in, but I didn't dare try out the attractions with my very limited Japanese (my mom who spoke Japanese guided us around when we went as kids). It was much less crowded than I remembered so there were a lot of great photo spots, but half the attractions I remember were gone and replaced by anime corners. Then went to Lashinbang which sold secondhand anime stuff, and also found several other secondhand/doujin stores I can't remember the names of along the way. Ended with Animate which was rather boring in comparison, lol. Steps: 11747

0416 Kamakura Decided on Kamakura the night before and just went for it. Found the Enoshima-Kamakura Freepass which was easy to book and included one round-trip on the Odakyu lines to Fujisawa, and unlimited rides on the Enoden (Fujisawa to Kamakura) and between Fujisawa to Katase-Enoshima. Started from Tsurugaoka Hachimangu and ate lunch at Komachi Dori. Spent way too much time just strolling around until we realized it was nearing closing time for temples and we rushed towards Kōtoku-in for the Great Buddha statue and arrived 10 minutes before closing time. I wanted to fit in Enoshima but there wasn't enough time and I really didn't have the strength left for it anyway, so we only went to th...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/venividivici_1 on 2025-04-17 21:15:21+00:00.

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Hi all, so in planning and preparation I used this forum extensively, therefore felt I had to pay it forward with my review, thoughts, and information.

One thing I will say, is that in my planning I struggled asking questions INTO this forum with kids mentioned. For some reason the autobot cancelled my posts constantly so I really hope this is useful for those with and without kids.

Some basic useful bits of info from our trip but feel free to ask if anything specific:

• Family trip of four, with two kids aged 9 and 4 travelling from UK to Haneda for around 12 full days in Japan, starting in Tokyo (Ueno), going to Kyoto, then Osaka, then back o a different area of Tokyo (Shinjuku)
• Jet lag lasts a few days, so would advise factoring that into your plans the first few days. Maybe have less things BOOKED that you HAVE to attend and instead more unbooked events so you can be flexible
• Comfortable footwear is no joke. A lot of folks were wearing Hoka’s and I tried them and definitely worth a recommendation, however we went with New Balance with the Foam Cushions and would definitely recommend. Super comfortable but even these couldn’t save aching feet/legs by end of the day!
• Wife is a vegetarian, this proved difficult, more so than my fussy kids. If you are going to solely Vegetarian/Vegan restaurants, then it’s fine (Happy Cow App). But if you want a mixed bag, it’s a struggle. Few recommendations in my notes below but really you need to plan ahead. don’t go around expecting to find somewhere that offers both veggie and non-veggie, first week we had late dinners as we couldn’t find much to cater for both
• Hotel chains: we stayed at Mimaru throughout and I would really recommend them. Most super close to a a station, but also something minor that I found as an added bonus was knowing how things work each and every time we arrived at a new Mimaru (stayed in 4 of them). Didn’t need to understand the room layout, the safe, the laundry process, was the same in each. Really just makes things that little bit easier, dump your bags and crack on with little “oh I need to understand this quickly” type of thing. Staff were super friendly and attentive. It is true though, stay near a station, makes life much easier
• Mimaru also has kitchen areas, meaning if travelling with kids you can make them a quick breakfast (Eggs/Toast) without much hassle as you pick up from 7/11 or Lawsons
• Train stations are a bit complicated and mainly because they are massive. Factor this into your trip planning as when Google Maps says “7min walk” - bearing in mind you are checking, rechecking routes, station names, platforms etc and not sure which direction to walk in, it will add time
• Get your Suica added on Apple iPhone as others have pointed out, so much easier
• Pre book Smart Ex trains for Shinkansen. Make sure you have your Login IDs recorded as you need to re-login before you travel to get your QR code for the ticket barriers. Also prepare yourself that Shinkansen train stations/areas are super busy, plan with enough time. If you have a train in 5mins and find yourself queuing for the barriers… well that’s poor planning. Don’t assume “well japan is efficient so it must be quick” if you are travelling in busy periods
• Tokyo Skytree was so packed it was probably not worth it in the end, not enjoyable really
• Klook - use to book event type things but not trains. We used it for Ninja Experience Cafe in Asakusa, Umeda Sky Building and USJ
• TeamLabs Borderless was great fun and brilliant photos to have as memories but quite the sensory overload for kids. They were shattered after less than 2 hours in there, so again, plan that in if travelling with younger ones
• Kyoto - Bamboo Forest would advise getting there before 1030am, otherwise gets jam packed. The Monkey Park is a long old walk uphill, tiring for all of us not just the kids. We did about 25,000 steps that day, meaning my little 4 year old must have done nearly double that!
• Kyoto Railway Museum was super fun for the little ones, but trying to pull them out to LEAVE was a bigger issue and involved tantrums
• Overall, we had around 1-2 activities as must have in the days and then some others we would have liked to do, but when travelling with kids I don’t think you can Jam Pack the itinerary like I see many do on posts. You wont see all of Japan so don’t try
• Taxis are a bit pricier in Tokyo but sometimes it’s totally worth doing in any of the cities. A lot of places are 10-15 min drives compared to 30-45min trains. Don’t be scared of doing the odd taxi to make life easier, again especially worth if travelling with kids
• Hakone we booked a private tour through Klook, just made things easier than a full long day, could kind of run to our own itinerary and leave early if we wanted to, might be an option to consider if you want more flexibility in your travel. Meant we could come back earlier and head to Shibuya
• Even if you don’t want do, you will end up picking the odd thing up throughout the trip so factor that into your packing and suitcases
• Didn’t use luggage forwarding much, only from Kyoto to Osaka and we didn’t travel on Shinkansen between those locations so was quite easy with little cases. But you cannot use Suica, you need to pay an additional amount. There’s green ticket machines at Kyoto station, but its much cheaper than Shinkansen and maybe 25mins longer so worth doing I think
• USJ - I didn’t want to spend two full days of theme parks on this trip so we picked USJ over Disney/Disney Sea and no regrets. Was great fun, got to the pack a little after 8am via Taxi to save time and spent the day there with Express Pass and Access all booked through Klook. They are strict on time so would ensure you plan accordingly. We hit the Minions area first with no queue jumps, was early enough so manageable. Then Harry Potter area, then Jurassic Park with Express 7 so we could get on a couple of rides there. Lunch (brought home made cheese rolls which were a lifesaver as queues for most things), then Nintendo World to finish from 4pm. I would say that saving Nintendo World til the end was great as it really did save the best til last. If you hit Nintendo first thing, everything else may seem a bit of a downgrade

Food options we enjoyed (not all Japanese but sometimes you need to get a pizza for the kids).

Tokyo: * Sushiro * Kakeomi Gyoza (Shinjuku) * Junisoh (@ the Hilton) * Pizza & Bar Nohga (Akhiabara)

Kyoto: * Menbaka Fire Ramen - totally tourist focused and it’s brilliant, probably best dinner of the trip not just good food but the ambience and setting etc, just super fun

Osaka: * Gyozah!

Hakone: * La Terrazza (probably the best pizza I’ve ever eaten!)

Hope that helps but feel free to ask anything specific.

Overall, the absolute best trip!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/gladly-beyond on 2025-04-18 08:00:43+00:00.

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Hello Japan Travel! Currently on day 5 of my first trip in Japan with my partner. Today was our first full day in Kyoto, and months ago we got tickets for the Miyako Odori geisha and maiko performance. We saw the performance this afternoon and it was incredible. The dancers and musicians are extremely talented, and we rented small headsets which played English audio describing the history of the Mikayo Odori, and the story behind each dance.

Despite having a wonderful time, I have to vent about the lack of etiquette displayed by the tourists attending the show. There was a 50/50 mix of Japanese locals and tourists at the performance. Prior to the performance starting, workers walked around with clear signage (displayed in Japanese, English, and symbols/photos) to put away and silence phones, not to talk, etc. Before and during the performance, I witnessed the following:

• Seconds before the show started, lots of tourists were arriving and quickly being ushered to their seats by staff. I could not imagine running late to such a formal performance.
• Also seconds before the show started, multiple tourists were standing up to have their photo taken in front of the stage. Staff had to order them back to their seats.
• Moments before the show began, a woman was scrolling on her phone, and staff went over with their sign and quite literally shoved it in her face to tell her to put her phone away. She didn't make eye contact, shrugged, and continued scrolling on her phone. Staff awkwardly stood there watching her until she sheepishly put it away.
• My largest gripe: during the performance, the entire row behind me consisted of loud tourists who laughed and talked almost the whole time. It was very distracting. An older Japanese man was seated next to me and turned around to shush them, which they ignored. I was very close to turning around and telling them to be quiet, but the performance ended before I did (it lasted 1 hour total). I regret not saying something. I wish staff would have come by to tell them to be quiet / kick them out during the show.

This is a bit of a rant, but I am blown away by the behavior of grown adults being disrespectful while attending such an amazing show. Regardless, I would highly recommend seeing it! I think tickets are likely sold out for this year, but it is an annual performance each April in Kyoto.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Suitable-Television9 on 2025-04-14 01:58:32+00:00.

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Me (33M) and wife (32F) traveled to Central Japan from 25/3 - 5/4. This is our second time visiting Japan, the first one being in Kansai region (Osaka/Kyoto/Nara) in spring 2024 (you can read that trip report here)

DAY 1 - INUYAMA >> NAKATSUGAWA

• Touched down at Chubu Centrair International Airport at 7.30am.
• Took the airport train to Nagoya Station and stored our luggage in coin lockers. Then, we headed to Inuyama Station.
• Walked and explored around Honmachi-dori, the main street that leads to Inuyama Castle. There were not a lot of people, and not many shops were opened yet as it was still very early.
• Visited Sanko Inari Shrine. Bought a Goshuincho and got my very first Goshuin.
• Explored Inuyama Castle. The view from the top of the castle was amazing!
• Left the castle and went back to Honmachi-dori. Many shops were already opened. We had an interesting tofu-themed meal at 本町茶寮.
• Walked to Daishoji and explored the temple grounds. From there, headed towards Inuyamayuen Station and took the train back to Nagoya Station.
• Retrieved our luggage and took the JR Shinano bound for Nakatsugawa.
• Reached Nakatsugawa Station and checked-in our hotel. Took a few hours nap, as we didn't have a proper sleep throughout our overnight flight.
• Woke up feeling much rested. Had a wonderful obanzai dinner at 笑処 あいろ.

Step count: 17,560 steps

DAY 2 - NAKASENDO WALK (OCHIAI , MAGOME , TSUMAGO)

• Woke up at 5am on my own and went for a morning walk, exploring Nakatsugawa Town.
• Came back to the hotel at 8am and wife was up and ready. Took a bus to Ochiai and started our Nakasendo hike from Ochiai-juku.
• After 1h30m, we reached Magome-juku. What a beautiful post-town! We couldn't stop taking pictures!
• Explored around a bit and bought some coffee and sandwich for snacking. Then, we departed for Tsumago-juku.
• Really lovely countryside vibes along the way. As we're approaching Tsumago, we had goheimochi and knife-cut soba for lunch atKongoya (it was the absolute BEST soba we've ever had in our lives!)
• After 3h10m of trail walking, we reached Tsumago-juku. Spent the next hour exploring around the town.
• Supposed to head to Narai-juku after this, unfortunately we missed the bus. The next bus doesn't go well with the train's timing, and we realized that it would be all dark the moment we arrive at Narai. So we scraped the plan.
• Continue walking another 45 minutes towards Nagiso Station and took the train back to Nakatsugawa.
• Visited the town's Valor Supermarket. Was really surprised how much cheaper everything here is, especially after the evening discount! Loaded up with lots of sashimi, bento and snacks and had a feast back at the hotel.

Step count: 45,160 steps

DAY 3 - NAEGI , ENA , IWAMURA , AKECHI

• Woke up at 5am on my own and went for a morning walk. Explored the Nakasendo post town Nakatsugawa-juku and some local residential parks. Tried the infamous strawberry sando from 7-eleven for breakfast.
• Came back to the hotel at 8am and wife was up and ready. Took a bus to Naegi and hiked up to Naegi Castle Ruins. The top of the castle ruins offers a splendid view of the whole Nakatsugawa Town!
• Descended from the castle ruins and took the bus back to Nakatsugawa Station. Took a short train ride to Ena Station. From there, switched to the Akechi Line and headed towards Iwamura Station.
• We had Tonkatsu for lunch at Kawairight outside Iwamura Station. We're normally not a fan of Tonkatsu back at home, but this meal genuinely surprised us! The meat was thick, juicy, tender and deep-fried to perfection! Pairing with the hatcho miso sauce, this was hands down the best Tonkatsu we've ever had!
• Explored around Iwamura-cho, a traditional castle town street that leads to Iwamura Castle Ruins.
• Spent about 40 minutes hiking uphill. The castle ruins was full of mysterious vibes, it felt as if we were in a Zelda game! We explored the castle ruins and hiked down back to Iwamura-cho.
• Took the train to Akechi Station. Wandered around the town's Taisho Village and visited Hachioji Shrine.
• Took the Akechi Line back to Ena Station. Had an AMAZING udon meal for dinner at Muginawa. Wife was a big fan of Kitsune Udon, and she told me the ones here were the best she's ever eaten!
• A short train ride back to Nakatsugawa and called it a day.

Step count: 32,846 steps

DAY 4 - GERO >> TAKAYAMA

• Woke up at 6am on my own and went for a morning walk. It rained throughout the night, and a huge, beautiful rainbow formed above the sky as the sun came out. Spent a good full 20 minutes at a spot just taking pictures of the rainbow until it eventually fades away.
• Came back to the hotel at 9.30am and wife was up and ready. Checked-out our hotel and stored our luggage there.
• Walked to Nakatsugawa-juku and did some souvenirs shopping there. Tried the local specialty chestnut sweets - Kurikinton.
• Had delicious cold soba for lunch at Masa Soba Restaurant.
• Went back to our hotel and retrieve our luggage. Caught the 12.15pm bus bound for Kashimo, and from there switched buses and arrived Gero at 2pm.
• Stored luggages at Gero Station and started exploring the onsen town.
• Visited Onsenji and the Frog Shrine. Tried some foot baths along the way as well.
• At 5pm, we retrived our luggage and took the local train towards Takayama Station.
• Checked-in our hotel in Takayama, had Chinese food for dinner at中国料理小満.

Step count: 21,409 steps

DAY 5 - TAKAYAMA

• Woke up at 5am on my own and went for a morning walk. Wandered around the west side of Takayama and did a short hike up to Takayama Sky Park.
• Reached back to the hotel by 9am and wife was up and ready. Walked to Miyagawa Morning Market and explored around. Had some wonderful cream puffs and coffee for breakfast at Coffee Don.
• Continue towards Sakurayama Hachimagu Shrine. Got a goshuin here!
• Finished the entire Higashiyama Walking Course, and ended up at Shiroyama Park near Takayama Castle Ruins.
• Had a really wholesome Hida beef bowl and Hida beef curry rice for lunch at an unknown restaurant at Shiroyama Park (couldn't even find it on Google Maps)
• Walked towards Sanmachi-suji and explored the old townscapes of Takayama.
• Feeling a little tired, we headed back and rest at the hotel. Had our very first onsen experience in the hotel onsen.
• Headed out after sunset and had a really fantastic sushi meal for dinner at Matsuki Sushi.

Step count: 32,380 steps

DAY 6 - HIDA NO SATO , HIDA-FURUKAWA

• No morning walks for today. Left the hotel around 7.30am and went to Miyagawa Morning Market for some souvenir shopping.
• From there, we took a 40 minutes walk to Hida no Sato. Stopped by [Boulang...

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Ok-Job-710 on 2025-04-14 14:10:15+00:00.

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Hello there,

I thought there might be some people interested in reading about a longer trip and budget travel. I'll try to keep this short and sweet:

Background

This was my last destination during my sabbatical/career break, so at this point I was used to long term/budget travel. For Japan I planned a daily budget of €60 (~¥10.000) (excluding flights). I arrived on January 19 and left April 8.

Route

Naha (number of nights 3) - Tokashiki (2) - Naha (2) - Fukuoka (4) - Nagasaki (3) - Beppu (2) - Dogo Onsen (2) - Hiroshima (1) - Miyajima (1) - Onomichi (3) - Osaka (3) - Yunomine Onsen (2) - Kyoto (4) - Kanazawa (3) - Takayama (3) - Matsumoto (1) - Nagano (3) - Tokyo (5) - Fujikawaguchiko (2) - Ito (2) - Tokyo (3) - Nikko (2) - Aizuwakamatsu (2) - Murayama (4) - Yokote (2) - Hirosaki (2) - Hakodate (3) - Lake Toya (2) - Noboribetsu (1) - Asahikawa (1) - Wakkanai (1) - Sapporo (5)

Itinerary

Many people write detailed trip reports and itineraries, so I suggest you take a look at those! I'm a planner, but more a route maker. My day to day was usually pretty open. I enjoy just wandering around. I know I've missed quite a lot "must visit sights", but I don't care. This was my trip :)

Daily expenses

Accommodation: €21. I exclusively stayed in hostels. Food/drinks: €14. In general I would eat yoghurt, a banana and granola in my hostel, one meal from the konbini or supermarket and one meal in a restaurant. There are heaps of affordable food options. Not to long ago there was a great write up about chain restaurants that I recommend reading. Transport: €11. Shinkansen is amazing, but if you're on a budget and have time, you probably want to take local trains and busses. I only took one Shinkansen (Onomichi - Osaka). Entrance fees: €4. This could vary a lot depending on your interest. For me this mostly includes temples, shires, castels and other historical buildings. Miscellaneous: €5. Mostly laundry and souvenirs.

Miscellaneous

Cash: I see a lot of discussion on how much cash is necessary. I think I used around ¥160.000, thus ¥2000 daily. Mostly used for snacks, hole in the wall restaurants and transportation. I did not have a suica card, I bought individual tickets. Weather: It was pretty cold most of my stay and I bought some heattech cloths from Uniqlo.. I needed those. Some days were rainy, but I didn't have a umbrella. Every hostel I stayed at had umbrellas guests could use, so I didn't feel the need to buy one. Crowds: I travelled in off season and it wasn't bad (thankfully). Steps: It is pretty well known that you will walk a lot in Japan. On average I walked 15k steps every day. This includes rest days and transportation days. I can imagine you would walk even more on a shorter trip.

Conclusion

80 days Japan, €55 a day (~¥9000). Loved Japan! Let me know if you have any questions!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Virtuous_Pursuit on 2025-04-14 11:22:15+00:00.

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1. Weather makes an ENORMOUS difference. Today was gorgeous until it got windy and rainy. There are things to do in the rain, but wow is the whole experience so much better in nice weather. If you’re local, plan accordingly.

2. The app/reservation UI is atrocious, but making reservations isn’t a huge deal. There is more to see and do than you could possibly do in a day. But if you don’t like lines, consider going later in the day or on a weekday.

3. There are some things they’re still figuring out how to communicate, like a food court with all the seating blocked off where the place to pay to get that seating is…at the exit. But you can also eat outside for free.

4. The overall vibe is a lot like a Disney or Universal, but an important difference is you walk through the pavilions instead of sitting on rides. So either be in good shape, or pace yourself, or both. And wear comfortable shoes.

5. The Expo is amazing. It’s beautiful, and remarkable, and fun, and interesting. But it’s also high degree of difficulty. The more skill and interest and commitment and curiosity you have the better an experience you will have. If you’re lazy about it, or can’t walk and explore outside well — or if you’re with people who can’t — it will be tough.

6. I was with kids age 5 and 8. They did pretty well! But I had to carry the 5 year old a lot, and definitely would’ve seen more I was interested in solo. It depends on the kid, but unlike a Disney or Universal it’s harder to explain to the kid what it’s going to be and there’s less stuff that’s a guaranteed hit. But there is a playground and plenty of stuff for kids too. It was unfortunate that the mascot, Myaku Myaku, completely creeped my kids out. Saved on merch though!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Extension-Worth1896 on 2025-04-13 10:50:05+00:00.

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Hi everyone!

My partner and I (both from Germany) are planning our first trip to Japan this November. It’s also our first long-haul trip! We’ll be staying for 22 days and would really appreciate any feedback on our itinerary.

A few notes about us:

• We’re not planning to rent a car or take domestic flights

• We want to see a lot, but without stressing ourselves

• Nightlife is not important to us

• We’re interested in nature, history, culture, anime, and some unique experiences

• We plan to use luggage forwarding from Osaka to Kyoto and travel to Miyajima/Hiroshima with just backpacks

I’m especially unsure whether our time in Kyoto is too long, considering we’re only visiting a few sights there. On Miyajima, we’ll stay in a regular hotel. At Lake Kawaguchi, we’re planning to treat ourselves to a more comfortable room with half board and an onsen.

Here’s our draft itinerary:

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11/08 – Arrival in Osaka (KIX)

• Arrive 12:50

• Check-in at hotel in Shinsaibashi-suji

• Explore the area, eat, and try to stay awake

11/09 – Osaka

• Katsuō-ji

• Shinsekai

• Harukas 300 Observatory

11/10 – Osaka & Surroundings

• Minoh Park (waterfall trail)

• Cup Noodles Museum Ikeda

11/11 – Day trip

• Himeji Castle

• Koko-en Garden

11/12 – Miyajima

• Travel to Miyajima & hotel check-in

• Momijidani Park & area exploration

11/13 – Hiroshima > Kyoto

• Check out Miyajima hotel

• Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park + Museum

• Hiroshima Castle, Shukkeien Garden

• Travel to Kyoto (Ebisuyacho) and check-in

11/14 – Kyoto

• Nijō Castle

• Kyoto Gyoen National Garden

11/15 – Kyoto

• Fushimi Inari Taisha

• GEAR non-verbal theatre show

11/16 – Day trip from Kyoto

• Amanohashidate

11/17 – Kyoto

• Philosopher’s Path

• Eikando Temple

• Tenjuan Temple

11/18 – Kyoto

• Ninenzaka/Sannenzaka

11/19 – Lake Kawaguchi

• Check out from Kyoto

• Travel to Kawaguchi

• Check-in + explore Great Bridge and Maple Corridor

11/20 – Day trip to Fujiyoshida

• Chureito Pagoda

• Arakurayama Sengen Park

11/21 – Tokyo (Taito)

• Check-out Kawaguchi

• Travel to Tokyo & check-in

• Explore area

11/22 – Tokyo

• Akihabara Electric Town

11/23 – Day trip to Kawasaki

• Japan Open-Air Folk House Museum

• Traditional indigo dyeing workshop

11/24 – Day trip to Kawagoe

• Wood Works Kawagoe

• Explore the area

11/25 – Tokyo

• Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

• Nakano Broadway

• Omoide Yokocho

11/26–11/27 – Tokyo (open days)

• No fixed plans yet

11/28 – Departure

• Check-out and head to Narita Airport

• Flight around 11:00 PM

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We’d love feedback on:

• Whether we’re over- or under-planning some days

• If we’ve missed any must-sees near our locations

• How to make Kyoto or Tokyo time more balanced

Thanks so much in advance for your help!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/bad_ed_ucation on 2025-04-13 09:00:23+00:00.

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Hi everyone.

Today, my partner and I were at Expo 2020 in Osaka - it's also the opening day. We booked tickets months ago because I am a big fan of an Expo (been to previous ones in Milan and Dubai) and because Ado is performing an opening day concert and it was possible to ballot to attend if you had tickets. We weren't successful, but we had the Expo tickets so thought we'd go anyway.

We arrived at 1000. Security checks to get in took about 40 minutes, which wasn't great but wasn't terrible. Probably the first sign that something was going a little wrong was that to buy our Expo passports (for those unfamiliar: at every Expo you can buy a little passport-sized book that you can use to stamp all of the 'countries' you've been to), we had to queue for 20 minutes to get into the gift shop, even though the day had only just begun.

Then, the rain started - just as we were in line for the Spanish pavilion. That's when things started to go from pretty overwhelming to unbearable.

The rain, of course, can't be helped. But it did exacerbate the problem of crowds. It seems pretty clear that far too many people were being allowed on-site - it felt like all of Osaka was there (very few foreign tourists, incidentally). And when the rain came, it pushed all of us towards the indoor areas (of which there were relatively few). The indoor common zones where several countries share pavilion space were literally shoulder-to-shoulder. There were swarms of people trying to see even rather minor country pavilions like Croatia or Ukraine.

By this point - some time around 1430 - we'd decided that we were not having fun and that we wanted to leave. This was easier said than done. By this point, the queues were beyond parody. At previous Expos I'd been to, one could expect (sometimes long) waits for the more important purpose-built national pavilions. But today, people were queueing for almost literally everything: for very minor pavilions, to use the toilet, to enter the food courts, to enter the sourvenir shops and even the 7-Eleven. We waited 20 minutes to use the shuttle bus to get from the West Gate to the East Gate (and they even had the nerve to charge us for it!). We even waited half an hour to leave, just after 1500.

My question to you all, I suppose, is if anyone has any insight into whether we were just dumb to have gone on the opening day, or whether this is just what this Expo will be like. If so, that would be an enormous shame - in many ways, it is a very impressive feat. I'd pencilled it in to go tomorrow as well, but if it's anything like today I'm not sure I can put my poor partner through it again!

I'd also be very happy to answer any questions about my visit - I am sure lots of people here will be looking forward to going.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Neither_Village2295 on 2025-04-12 13:53:57+00:00.

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Hi everyone!

 I'm a Japanese living in Maniwa city (Northern Okayama) since December. This city doesn't see many international tourists, but I think it's an interesting and unique place. I'd love to share the some information about the city. Honestly, I'm also considering launching a business here, possibly an accommodation or an English guide, so any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated!

What to see/do:

• Rich of nature: You can enjoy seasonal landscapes, like the blooming cherry blossoms right now
• Hot springs: There's a FREE, mixed-gender public open-air bath!
• Cycling at Hiruzen Highland resort
• Sake breweries: Visit Tsuji Shuzo and Ochi Shuzo to taste local sake
• Historic streets of Katsuyama and Shinjo
• Kamba water falls: There are also wild monkeys!
• Former Senkyo Elementary School: You can even try on a school uniform and take some fun photos!
• Enjoy the quiet and peaceful time!

Location:

Maniwa is in Northern Okayama prefecture. It’s about 2 hours by express bus or 2.5 hours by train from central Okayama station, and around 3.5 h by train from Matsue (In case of the trains transfer will be needed). It’s a reasonable place to stop and spend a couple of days if you'd like to travel between Setouchi areas and San-in areas.

Notes:

• Less tourists here, so you can escape the crowds and enjoy a more relaxed experience.
• Most local people don't speak English...
• It would be difficult to find the restaurant sometimes.
• There are no clubs or party spots, so would be healthy days.

For more info and photos, you can check out the official tourism website. Visit Maniwa

If you’ve been to Maniwa I’d love to hear your experiences too!

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/itsnits on 2025-04-09 14:11:03+00:00.

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Fulfilling my lifelong dream of going to Japan! 10 days - looking for itinerary validation plus some recs!

Looking for the following recs:

1. a ryokan in Hakone with a private onsen and great food
2. 2 nice/upscale restaurants in Tokyo that are unique experiences (like robot restaurant) - ideally for adults and in the areas we are already planning to visit.

Day 1: land at HND at 2pm. Check into hotel near Tokyo station, grab food at ramen street in station and turn in early.

Day 2: Ginza (Uniqlo/GU), Tsukiji Outer market, teamLab planet.

Day 3: Travel to Kyoto, check into hotel. Explore Gion, Kodaji park.

Day 4: Fushimi Inari & Nishiki food market. (Should we do Ryoanji on this day too?)

Day 6: Day trip to Nara. E bike tour. Return to Kyoto

Day 5: Travel to Osaka. Osaka castle and Dotombori. Intentionally aligned it so that our weekend in Japan is in Osaka. Stay in love hotel. (Wanted to experience these unique hotels)

Day 7: Travel to Hakone. Heard this is the best place for the ryokan + onsen experience. Will just spend time in the ryokan experience.

Day 8: Check out of ryokan, Travel to Tokyo. Visit Akihabara, rest.

Day 9: Shinjuku, Shibuya, Golden Gai.

Day 10: Ueno park, Nakamise Dori, sensoji temple

Day 11: depart from Tokyo

Questions -

1. reservations aren’t needed at train station spots right? I’ve seen a bunch of recs online for places in different stations that seem convenient to grab bites at.
2. Luggage transfers: Tokyo station hotel to Kyoto hotel to Osaka love hotel to Hakone ryokan to Tokyo hotel. I’ve been hearing about the luggage forwarding service, are those feasible even for smaller places like Hakone ? Or for the love hotel (esp since those are sometimes booked on the spot). Trying to realistically understand what when we will have to lug things around haha.
3. Any thoughts or recs for itinerary

We are young, like busy itineraries and exciting activities :)

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Leather_Western4904 on 2025-04-08 07:08:58+00:00.

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PS: I’m simply sharing my personal experience, but I’ve received comments containing vulgarities directed at TokudAw, which is not what I intended or encouraged.

(Edited for clarity) I’d like to share my recent personal experience with a tour company called TokudAw, based in Japan. Hopefully, this helps other travelers make informed decisions.

Here was our basic itinerary:

• Day 1: Airport pickup from KIX to hotel (4 pax)

Cost: ¥40,000

• Day 2: Shiga prefecture day tour (3 pax)

Cost: ¥125,235

• Day 3: Nara day tour (5 pax)

Cost: ¥118,800

• Day 4: Osaka day tour (5 pax)

Cost: ¥118,800

• Days 5 & 6: Kyoto tour (5 pax)

Cost: ¥118,800

• Day 7: Hotel pickup in Kyoto to KIX airport (4 pax)

Cost: ¥60,000

The total I paid was ¥851,851, excluding admission tickets, hotels, or meals. I specifically requested an electric wheelchair for my elderly mother (age 76), and a Chinese-speaking driver-guide.

According to their website and Instagram, TokudAw offers tours with their own Hiace vehicles (with automatic steps for seniors) and WHILL electric wheelchairs. However, two days before the trip, I was informed that TokudAw only directly operates in Tokyo, Hakone, and Mt. Fuji—and that our Kansai tours (Shiga, Nara, Osaka, Kyoto) were being outsourced to third-party drivers. This outsourcing arrangement had never been disclosed to me in advance.

Because of this, none of the advertised vehicles or accessibility features were available. Worse, the drivers were not informed that a wheelchair was needed. One had to scramble to find a basic manual wheelchair on the spot—it was not electric, and I had to push my mother up and down hills, which was physically exhausting and, at times, unsafe.

To be fair, our first driver was kind and helpful, and really tried to make the experience work. However, our Kyoto driver was very difficult to work with. The wheelchair provided had no carer brakes, which made navigating Kyoto’s steep slopes very risky. When I asked if it could be replaced, I was told to “just bear with it.” Only after I mentioned possible legal action did they provide a proper wheelchair—with brakes—the next day.

In addition, I later discovered that the prices I paid were significantly above average market rates. There was no formal contract—only a basic quotation and booking form, with no clear terms or conditions.

I’ve since filed a formal complaint with the All Nippon Travel Agents Association (ANTA) and am requesting both an explanation and a partial refund. I’ve kept all records—emails, LINE chats, photos/videos, and quotation documents—as evidence.

When I requested a refund, my messages were ignored.

Just sharing my personal experience so others can make informed decisions. If you do choose to book with TokudAw, I strongly recommend requesting written confirmation on all accessibility needs and who will actually be providing the services.

Also, just a tip: Kyoto is not very elderly-friendly. It’s full of stairs and steep paths. If your elderly companion has mobility issues, this may not be the best destination unless strong support is arranged in advance.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Haezer- on 2025-04-07 15:34:38+00:00.

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Hello!

My girlfriend and I are visiting Japan for the first time next month, and we’ll be spending 18 days there. We've put together this first draft of an itinerary and would really appreciate any feedback you might have :)

We usually like to travel at a relaxed pace, taking time to enjoy each place rather than rushing from one spot to another. Also, I’m currently recovering from a knee injury, so we’ve tried to keep the walking to a reasonable amount. That’s something we’ve tried to take into account while planning.

Here’s what we’ve come up with so far. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Are there any must-see highlights we might have missed? Anything on our list that you think is overrated or skippable? How’s the overall pacing, too packed or just right?

We’re open to any suggestions or ideas that come to mind.

Thanks in advance! :)

Day 1-8: Tokyo

Wed. 07/05 - Ikebukuro

• We get to Tokyo in the morning, drop luggages in apartment at Meijiro, go to Ikebukuro
• Sunshine City (Pokemon Center, Namco Town)
• Shops

Thurs. 08/05 - Minato / Roppongi

• TeamLab Borderless
• Tokyo Tower
• Zozo-ji Temple
• Roppongi Hills
• Mori Art Museum (worth it?)

Fri. 09/05 - Day trip to Nikko

• Shinkyô Bridge
• Rinno-ji Sanbutsudo Temple
• Toshogu Shrine
• Futarasan-jinja Shrine
• Taiyuyin Temple

Sat. 10/05 - Ueno / Yanaka

• Ueno Park & Toshogu Shrine
• Ameyodo Market (Lunch break)
• Yanaka Cemetery and surroundings
• Nezu Jinja Shrine - Azalea Garden

Sun. 11/05 - Chiyoda / Ginza

• Imperial Palace Gardens: Nijubashi Bridge via Higashi
• Hibiya Park (on the way between Chiyoda and Ginza)
• Walk around Ginza (luxury shops, Ginza Yonchome crossing)
• Ginza Six rooftop
• Art Aquarium Museum

Mon. 12/05 - Harajuku / Shibuya

• Yoyogi Park
• Takeshita Dori
• Omotesando
• Cat Street to connect Harajuku to Shibuya
• Walk in Shibuya (Hachiko Statue, Shibuya crossing, shops)
• Shibuya Sky

Tues. 13/05 - Day trip to Kamakura

• Hase-dera Temple
• Kotoku-in - Great Buddha Daibutsu
• Komachi Dori: Lunch break
• Tsurugaoka Hachiman-gu Shrine
• Kencho-ji Temple
• Engaku-ji Temple
• Return to Tokyo

Wed. 14/05 - Shinjuku

• Shinjuku Gyoen Garden
• Walk around the district / shops (Giant 3D cat)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building
• Walk through Kabukicho / Golden Gai
• Omoide Yokocho

Day 9-11: Osaka

Thurs. 15/05 - Namba

• Bullet train to Osaka
• Drop luggage and head to Namba
• Sennichimae Doguyasuji Street
• Namba Parks
• Namba Yasaka Shrine
• Dotonbori - Hozenji Yokocho Temple

Fri. 16/05 - Osaka: Osaka Bay / Shinsekai ?

Not sure what to do with this day, but we want to spend the evening in Shinsekai

• Osaka Bay (Naniwa Food Theme Park) ?
• Dinner in Shinsekai
• TeamLab Botanical Garden

Sat. 17/05 - Day trip to Himeji

• Himeji Castle
• Koko-en Garden

Day 12-16: Kyoto

Sun. 18/05 - Arashiyama Mifune Matsuri

• Tenryu-ji Temple
• Arashiyama Bamboo Grove
• Enjoy the Mifune Matsuri
• Togetsukyo Bridge
• Iwatayama Monkey Park

Mon. 19/05 - Kyoto center and Gion

• Imperial Palace
• Nishiki Market: Lunch break
• Kamogawa River & Pontocho Street
• Kiyomizu-dera Temple
• Yasaka-jinja Shrine
• Walk in Gion

Tues. 20/05 - Day trip to Nara

• Nara Deer Park
• Todai-ji Temple
• Naramachi District (lunch)
• Kasuga-Taisha Shrine
• Isuien Garden

Wed. 21/05 - North Kyoto

• Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion)
• Ryōan-ji
• Ninna-ji
• Higashiyama Jishō-ji (Ginkaku-ji, the Silver Pavilion)
• Philosopher’s Path

Thurs. 22/05 - Kyoto South (and travel back to Tokyo)

• Fushimi Inari-Taisha Shrine
• Tofuku-ji Temple
• Komyo-in Temple (part of the Tofuku-ji complex)
• Bullet train back to Tokyo, hostel in Asakusa
• Discover Asakusa

Day 17-18: Back to Tokyo

Fri. 23/05 - Asakusa

• Senso-ji
• Asakusa Shrine
• Nakamise Dori
• Tokyo Skytree
• Kappabashi Dori
• River cruise ?

Sat. 24/05 - Last day in Tokyo

• Last minute shopping
• Not planning anything yet, we will see

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/jerseyjoewalcott on 2025-04-06 14:11:34+00:00.

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Thought I'd share the Yakushima part of my trip as it may be helpful to some people as a reference.

Day 1

Flight from Okinawa to Kagoshima and then Yakushima, NAVI rental car picked us up from the airport.

Drove around the island, did not make it in time for the animal trail so we had to u turn from the north side to Onoida, stopped by some lighthouse with amazing views of the coastline and sunset. Had dinner at an Izakaya called Sampotei was aight.

Day 2 

It started pouring and some intense thunderstorm was happening early in the morning, winds were absolutely insane and I think it might have been even hailing at one point as it sounded like rocks hitting on the windows.

Started the day slow with hotel breakfast, drove around for lunch and then up Yakusugi Land. It was still raining at this point but we took the 80 min hike as the area was about to close and we did not have enough time for the other 2. 

The rain actually enhanced the entire hike and it was really magical just walking around the area. Our rental car somehow broke down (I think due to a dead battery) after we tried to start it to make our return trip. Since we had no local line we had to contact hotel via WhatsApp and the helped to contact the car rental. A rockstar lady from car rental drove up and switch cars with us, gave us some snacks and bottled ocha, and we made it down nicely and in time for dinner. We ate at a nearby place called Hachiman, there was karaoke and I butchered my favourite anime OP in front a bunch of Japanese people but I had fun. 

Day 3

The rain cleared up and it was decent weather though still quite foggy.

Ran around Onoida early in the morning it was quite nice.

We had amazing bread from a nearby bakery in Onoida, and went up the road to Shiratani Unsuikyo. We planned to just do the 3 hour hike to the inspiration of Princess Mononoke and grab lunch, but my insistence on us not yet reaching the moss covered forest as there was no sign (and I mean pretty much all of the forest is moss covered..) took us all the way to the last part of the hike. So we climbed up the last stretch to Taiko Iwa rock which gave us a stunning view of the area. 

Now keep in mind the sign only said 20m more which felt like half an hour worth of hiking. My partner was worn at this point and we quickly made our way back. Near the end of the hike we did bump into a deer in a moss covered landing which made it extra magical. We did finish it quite comfortably at 3 hours 45 mins and It was late Noon by this point and were starved. Thankfully the remainder of the snacks brought to us by the rockstar rescue lady the previous day gave us the energy to drive down.

The drive up is as spectacular as it is long. The incline on it is pretty high and I do see people riding a bicycle up, which I would advise against. Unless ur training for an Ironman or something.

I also tried the Onoida Onsen - which was filled with locals and boiling hot water. I am quite a big fan of onsens but this one was uncomfortably hot for me.

Day 4

Ran up to Senpiro Falls in the morning, it was quite steep I had to stop a few times. The falls itself was quite nice - pictures don’t really do it justice which is applicable to pretty much everything here actually.

Didn’t want to do Jomon Sugi so we went back to Yakusugi Land to do the full course. We were well prepared with food this time but didnt need it. We completed it slightly under 3 hours and then went around the Anbo area to shop. Yakushima Bless and the surrounding shops around sold some interesting Yakusugi trinkets. We then drove around the island to see the west side. 

Now most of the driving around the island is pretty easy unless it is up one of the trails, or this west side of the island where it becomes a one lane for both directions. We were also told to not go clockwise from Onoida and instead go counterclockwise from the south all around the island if we wanted to see the animal trail. We thought it was a rule but we did see people coming from the opposite direction. For comparison, it is like driving around Iya Valley with significantly less cars and shorter distances. 

The drive itself was full of macaques and yakushikas to really observe, there were a couple of cars stopping to take photos and admire them so it is quite hard to miss.

Stopped by Ohko waterfalls which were even better than Senpiro in the morning. And also Tsukasaki Tidepools which we left quickly due to strong winds.

Day 5

Grabbed more bread at the nearby bakery and we had to say goodbye to our beautiful cabin at Shikinoyado. Returned the car and took a flight to Kagoshima.

Final Thoughts

Food there is nothing to shout at compared to the mainland and is on the pricier side. That said - the food there is still of very high quality. The tap water here is crisp and very fresh. There is a 6am jingle that I miss due to how good I am sleeping in the lodging.

I stayed around Onoida which was on the southern side away from the main areas Anbo and Miyanoura. There were still eateries around, supermarkets, non-chain convenience stores. A lot of which do stock hiking equipment should you need. I prepared a lot of cash but surprisingly a lot of places accept credit cards as well.

The 80 min hike for Yakusugi Land is almost like a walk in the park. The 210 min hike with the final stretch to Tenmon no mori is slightly more difficult but I wasn’t entirely sure what I was supposed to see at the end. That said a lot of the times you do feel like you have the whole forest to yourself.

The hike for Shiratani is more crowded in comparison (still at a very enjoyable level) probably due to a more rewarding hike overall. The last stretch up to Taiko Iwa Rock is physically more demanding than Yakusugi  Land but I would say still manageable for a lot of people.

Overall Yakushima did live up to the hype (so did the rainfall - I was honestly terrified the first night) and the 4 full days that we had here was some of the best hiking and travelling I have done. Obviously dependant on your style but I did feel we could have spent a few more days there. If you can drive and have an interest for hiking/nature I would highly recommend including it in your itinerary if you can spare a few days.

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The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/hyouko on 2025-04-04 17:05:54+00:00.

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You can't visit Japan just once. My first trip was back in 2023, and I loved it so much that I immediately began scheming to find a way to visit again. The stars aligned for a second trip this spring. I added some new folks in my crew, so we revisited some of the greatest hits from the first trip in Kyoto / Tokyo for their benefit, but this time we also visited Hiroshima and Kanazawa (and I took a day for myself in Osaka, which was great fun).

I'll break my notes out by city here.

• Tokyo: As fun and busy as ever. We stayed in Akasaka at the start and end of our trip, which turned out to be a good base of operations for a lot of what we wanted to do: convenient access to the subway lines, nearby parks, and lots of food options. A few highlights:

  • Call me basic, but Teamlabs Borderless was a lot of fun; some of the "exhibits" were extremely cool. The concept of being able to explore and find hidden entrances to various setpieces was great. The teahouse inside was a good experience overall, particularly if you are a matcha fan, but the wait was pretty long at midday.
  • Seeing the illuminated cherry blossoms at full bloom in Chidorigafuchi was wonderful. We actually went across to the far side of the moat first, which gave a neat perspective on the trees.

• Hiroshima : A lot calmer than Tokyo. The ride down on the shinkansen was a treat all by itself (I caught a nice pic of Mt. Fuji as we went by).

  • Miyajima was a big hit with our group. Hiking on Mt. Misen (if you want to see the top and the shrines, do be prepared to hike 30-45min both ways from the lift with some solid uphill). Miyajima Base had some of the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. The floating torii gate is beautiful, of course, and the deer were mischievous (we watched one nip through a fence and grab ice cream from an unsuspecting tourist). Daishoin was a temple filled with more hands-on stuff to do than any other temple I've visited.
  • I could literally watch my stress levels go down via my watch as we strolled the Shukkeien gardens. Be careful on the central bridge!
  • The peace park and peace memorial museum are very worth a visit, but give yourself time afterward to process everything.
  • Definitely grab some okonomiyaki. The main dish we had in a little second-story restaurant was great, but the cheese and potato okonomiyaki we made stole the show.

• Kyoto: I particularly love the zen temples here. We arrived too early for the main sakura bloom season, but still had a very good time.

  • The Kyoto Railway Museum was a great time, and it's a good change of pace if you are getting overloaded with shrines and castles and temples. Now I really want to ride on a sleeper train!
  • Strolling up Saga Toriimoto Preserved Street in the northwest of the city was also well worth it. This area has some of the best gift / souvenir shops we found on the whole trip, and it's beautiful and less crowded. Easiest to reach via taxi.
  • We had fairly good experiences at Fushimi Inari and Kiyomizu-dera showing up 7-8am - still busy, but not crowded to the point of being un-fun. I remain rather ambivalent about Kinkaku-ji - it's certainly eye-catching, but the whole trip is basically a 15 minute photo op, and I much prefer the quieter atmosphere and zen gardens at Ginkaku-ji.
  • I was lucky enough to get tickets for the Nintendo Museum. Seeing the old prototypes and pre-video-game history of the company was a treat, though I found myself wishing for a bit more guidance. Inordinately proud of my winning score

• Osaka: I had a whirlwind one-day tour here.

  • The Osaka '70 Expo Park was a little run-down, but walking the aerial promenade all by myself at park open was a neat experience, and the Tower of the Sun is well worth a visit (grab tour tickets online before you go). Kind of wish I could take pictures up near the top, as the structural details inside the arms / wings of the tower were really cool looking.
  • Don't be like me - figure out your Osaka Aquarium ticket reservations in advance. I still got in, thankfully, and the whale shark tank was a cool as advertised.

• Kanazawa: has been described to me as a quieter and less-tourist-y Kyoto, but I feel like it's got its own thing going on.

  • Kenroku-en at opening on a sunny day was one of the highlights of the trip. It's a beautiful garden, and well engineered such that it looks great in all seasons - I don't think it is terribly dependent on particular flowers being in bloom. That said, the camellias made for some really pretty scenes.
  • The Higashi Chaya district at twilight... I wonder if this is what Gion felt like before it became such a major tourist thoroughfare? Just wandering the streets here was an experience. The restaurants had a neat vibe, but I think were mostly well out of our price range.

One lesson we learned last time that we applied with great success during this trip: don't be afraid to grab a taxi, particularly in Kyoto. Splitting the fare 4 ways with our group, it was not that much more expensive than taking a bus, and certainly more comfortable and faster. If you find yourself staring at a complex route with two or three transfers and lots of walking, consider this alternative. And taxis are indispensable when it comes to moving with a full complement of luggage.

One lesson we didn't learn well enough last time that bit us a few times this trip: advance reservations are frequently necessary. We got turned away from restaurants, missed out on a day trip to Shirakawa-go, and almost missed visiting the Osaka Aquarium due to lack of reservations.

Overall, the trip was a great time, and I'm already juggling ideas for a return in my head, because of course I am.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/AzanWealey on 2025-04-05 15:07:29+00:00.

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When: 10.03 (late evening) – 23.03.2025

Who: me (40), my younger sibling (38), our dad (67) and mom (62).

The trip was a retirement gift for our dad – visiting Japan was his life-long dream, but there were always more important things/expenses, so now that he is retired I kind of bought the tickets and informed him to start packing :P He is most interested in feudal era (samurais, shoguns etc.), weapons, architecture and modern technology.

For me and my sibling it was a 2nd trip, so we wanted to see/experience/buy things we missed the last time or loved enough to repeat it.

Mum was mostly along for the ride, but she also wanted to taste some common foods like mochi or ramen and compare them to ones available at home. While she is fully mobile, she can’t go too fast, too far and for too long, and avoids stairs, so we had to compromise and plan our trip around her.

Money: none of my family members has a credit card, we went fully cash with my card as a backup. Since we were buying „in bulk” we got a nice deal, tho it was still a tiny bit more expensive than simply paying with card.

Transportation: we got Welcome Suica cards at the airport and ended up spending ca. 8500 yens per person for all the rides to save some walking for mum. We bought shinkansen tickets when we got to the station on the travel days. Only once I went to buy the tickets the day before because we wanted to sit on the Fuji side on the Kyoto-Tokyo route (in the end it was rainy and foggy day, and we saw nothing….).

Internet: We all have Android phones, so we bought physical SIM cards. We got them in the morning after arrival at the airport without reserving anything. Me and my sibling got AnyPhone 50GB for 14 days and our mum got 10 GB for 14 days. The staff at the shop helped us to install them. They worked very well in Tokyo, a little less so in Kyoto.

Apps used: Google Translator, Lenses and Maps. Yurekuru Call for earthquake early warning.

Hotels: all hotels were booked 9–10 months ahead of time and paid for before the trip: 1) Villa Fontaine Grand Haneda (1 night), Sotetsu Fresa Inn Shijo Karasuma (5 nights) and Sotetsu Fresa Inn Tamachi (6 nights)

Luggage forwarding: I proposed, everyone refused ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. We had middle sized suitcase (ca. 60L) and small cabin size soft bag each, so it wasn’t that inconvenient to travel with. There was a lot of space on shinkansen even if we could not put all of them overhead. When travelling on public transportation, we went outside rush hours. Only once it became a problem when we were not able to find lift/escalator, and we had to drag them to the metro station (which was mostly a problem for me since I bought some heavy souvenirs).

General subjective observations/thoughts:

1. Japan is allergic to benches. I noticed it the 1st time, but it became a problem this year. Mum had to rest every so often, and suddenly there was nowhere for her to sit down. Even in parks sometimes it’s hard to find one outside of few designated areas and of course nearly none along sidewalks. Not saying there are no benches at all, but they are definitely not that common. It may be a good idea to bring or buy a small foldable stool if you travel with someone that requires frequent rests.
2. Lifts/moving stairs. Generally Japan is very good with it, which is very helpful for people with limited mobility. BUT, while all stations had them, not ALL ENTRANCES had them. And on big stations, entrances can be quite spread out, sometimes hard to find between buildings and a net of narrow streets. So be prepared to either brave some stairs from time to time or walk around looking for the entrance with lift/escalator. We didn’t encounter any out of order ones, tho.
3. Overtourism. It’s possible we were a little early to the party and/or skipped some of the most popular places, but my sibling’s and mine impression was that there were fewer people than during our last visit in October 2023. The biggest crowd was in Senso-ji – but we also visited it during holiday, so can’t say how it was on „normal” day. The other place was Akihabara and I have to agree it was not a fun place to be with how packed it was. But for example, both Kyoto and Himeji sometimes felt empty.
4. Masks. It was a flu season, so a lot of people wore masks, but definitely less than I thought would even when evidently sick. It was also where I encountered my biggest culture shock: apparently blowing your nose is a big no-no, but constantly sniffing for 40-min train ride is perfectly fine (without mask ofc). And I’m not talking about kids or teenagers but also mums, grandpas or serious businessmen and women in smart suits.
5. Weather. Most of the time we had nice tho a bit cold weather around 10-15 deg. C and sunny or partly cloudy sky. That being said, we experienced everything from minus temperatures and snowstorm to 25 C sunny day.
6. The roadworks on a side street that we encountered in 2023 in Kyoto were still not finished in 2025…. So much for my idea of Japanese doing roadworks overnight :D
7. Garbage cans. Yes, everyone know they are mostly absent and we were prepared. Still mildly irritating.
8. I love konbinis. I simply love them.
9. I also love Japanese sweets, esp. matcha flavoured. I will miss the selection and prices.
10. I'm so going back there again!

Trip itself:

10.03

We landed late in the evening and went through the immigration and customs relatively easy (we had VisitJapanWeb QR codes). Knowing we will be dead tired, I booked rooms at airport hotel which was a blessing. We were horribly jet-lagged and didn’t sleep much anyway, but being able to shower and go horizontal was heaven.

11.03

After checking out in the morning, we travelled to Shinagawa Station by Keikyu Airport Line and bought Nozomi tickets to Kyoto. It was where I introduced my parents to the idea of ekibens and watched as they faced their biggest adversary of the whole trip: chopsticks.

We arrived in Kyoto shortly after midday and were able to check in the hotel. After leaving the luggage, refreshing and eating, we went on a stroll along the Shijo street and done some shopping on Teramachi street.

12.03

We visited Kyoto Imperial Palace, Kan'in-no-miya Residence and Heian Shrine. Next to Heian we encountered a flea market which was nice since I wanted to visit one anyway. On that day, we saw our 1st cherry blossom.

13.03

We started with Gallery of Kyoto Traditional Arts and Crafts that was closed last time. My sibling and I loved it, our parents were less interested. Next we went to Nijo Castle and spent a a lot of time there. In the afternoon, we made a short stop at Manga Museum souvenir shop and ended up in Higashi Honganji Temple that was amazing.

14.03

Day trip to Himeji to see the castle. Mum went with us to the castle ground and West courtyard but skipped the main keep because of many very steep and narrow stairs. While there, we also visited Itatehyouzu Shrine that has a nice tiny tori path.

15.03

Walking around Pontocho, Gion and Sannenzaka. We thought of going to Kiyomizu dera, but the weather turned quite bad with rain, wind and temperature drop so we went back to the hotel earlier. After changing wet shoes, I went alone to buy last things on Teramachi and to the train station to buy shinkansen tickets to Tokyo for the next day.

16.03

Ride to Tokyo, checking in and trip to Ginza to salivate over luxury jewellery. On Sunday, during the day the street is closed to cars so we had a whole street for best selfies.

17.03

We started with Fukugawa Edo Museum (it was great!), then went to Ueno hoping for cherry blossom, but only the two trees at the entrance were in bloom. At the end of the day, I dragged them to Nippori Fabric Town to buy years worth supply of sashiko thread that is stupidly expensive in my country.

18.03

Since the weather was very nice, we went to Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum where we encountered the most beautiful cherries and no crowds. The museum was worth 1,5h trip one way!

19.03

The day welcomed us with a snowstorm, destroying our plans. We (along with half of the Tokyo) went to the National Museum to hide from the hail and satisfy our dad’s swords and samurai armour craving. In the afternoon, when the weather improved once again, we ended up in Ueno at the opening of Sakura Festival where we spent time hopping from food stand to food stand and listening to live music.

20.03

We went to Senso-ji Temple, Nakamise street (where for the 1st time we experienced true crowds) and Hisago street. From there we rode by bus to Meiji Shrine, which I adored, and I’m so going back there next time.

21.03

The day started with a visit to collab cafe (Motto Cafe). It was… interesting experience, let's call it. After that, we rode to the top of Sunshine Tower (600m/min) to a viewing platform. It had an amazing view of the city and since it was a whole building and not a flimsy metal tower my fear of heights was not triggered. We also visited an aquarium there and shopping mall with many thematic shops including whole floor of Pokemons, big shops for Bandai merch, Sylvan Family or Marvel and the biggest capsule topy store in the world.

22.03

We went to Akihabara for electronics (dad) and to see the whole madness going on there (me). I fell in love with tiny rice makes and nano dishwasher, but had to leave them (sniff), dad bought some small ga...

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Content cut off. Read original on https://old.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/comments/1js5jcp/trip_report_12_days_in_march_with_elderly_parents/

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/DaIubhasa on 2025-04-04 01:27:30+00:00.

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Looking for advice what needs to be tailored here. You can suggest what to remove and add and we'll consider. This is our first time in Japan and I'm quite sure not the last :)

PS: I'm not a fan of Pokemon or Anime or Nintendo. We're more on culture aspects and perspective. If you can please recommend and we'll remove what's needed. I'm keen to see samurai katana, sumo wrestlers, geisha, shrines, temples, history etc. As mentioned, this will not be the last we're going there.

Day 1 (Tokyo)

• Arrival Narita Airport 5PM (We will come from NZ so imagine the long flight. Haha!)
• Eat dinner Gonpachi Nishi-Azabu

Day 2-3 (Osaka)

• Eat lunch somewhere - HITOTSUZUKI
• Dinner Moegi or 551 Horai
• Dotonbori River, Denden Town, Shinsekai
• Osaka Castle
• Brunch - 551 Horai
• Hirakata Park
• Umeda Sky Building and Grand Green Osaka Park
• Abeno Harukas Skyscraper
• Minoh National Park

Day 4-5 (Kyoto)

• Fushimi Inari Taisha
• Kiyomizu-dera
• Gion
• Arashiyama
• Kinkaku-ji
• Ginkaku-ji
• Philosopher's Path
• Mt Kurama

Day 6-10 (Tokyo)

• Asakusa Sumo Club
• Akihabara Electric Town (Shopping)
• Imperial Palace (Castle)
• Tokyo Tower (Landmark)
• Yokocho (Eating and drinking)
• Shibuya Sky (Landmark)
• Takeshita St (Shopping)
• Meiji Jingu (Temple)
• Tokyo National Museum

Edit1: My bad. We'll be staying 2 days in Kyoto. Removed Pokemon and Nintendo as well. Edited my "PS".

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Mean_Post_2536 on 2025-04-02 00:03:32+00:00.

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Hi! I’m traveling to Japan between late November and early December. Could you take a look at my itinerary? Do you feel like I’m missing any places, or that I might be overloading some days? I’m still not sure what to do in Osaka. For the first days in Tokyo, I want to leave one day open to visit Mt. Fuji (I want to go on a day with good visibility).

⸻

✈️ Day 1 – Flight to Japan

⸻

🗼 Days 2 to 8 – Tokyo + Kamakura + Fuji

🗓️ Day 2 – Arrival + Light sightseeing (Shibuya & Shinjuku) • Check-in and rest • Shibuya Crossing & Hachiko • Shibuya Sky (sunset) • Loft, Tokyu Hands • Don Quijote Shibuya + Bic Camera Shibuya East • Pompompurin Café

🗓️ Day 3 – Harajuku + Omotesando + Akasaka • Meiji Jingu Shrine • Takeshita Street (DAISO, Kiddy Land, Sanrio, POP MART) • Omotesando (shops & themed cafés) • Tokyo Tower at night

🗓️ Day 4 – Asakusa + Ueno + Akihabara • Senso-ji Temple & Nakamise Street • Ueno Park (Tokyo National Museum – optional) • Akihabara (anime & pop culture stores, Maid Cafés, Sanrio Gift Gate)

🗓️ Day 5 – Ikebukuro + Nakano Broadway • Sanrio Café Ikebukuro • Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo • Sunshine City & Animate Ikebukuro

🗓️ Day 6 – Day trip to Kamakura • Hase-dera • Sasuke Inari Shrine • Shichirigahama Beach • Café Yoridokoro

🗓️ Day 7 – Flexible Fuji Day (if the weather is good) • Chureito Pagoda, Lake Kawaguchi, Tatego-Hama Beach • Café with a view: Oishi Park Café • Overnight stay in Fujikawa or Fujinomiya

🗓️ Day 8 – Shimokitazawa • Shimokitazawa (vintage shops, cafés & Village Vanguard)

⸻

⛩ Days 9 to 12 – Kyoto + Day Trip to Nara

🗓️ Day 9 – Higashiyama (Eastern Kyoto) • Kiyomizu-dera, Hokanji Pagoda • Ninenzaka & Sannenzaka • Yasaka Shrine & Gion

🗓️ Day 10 – Arashiyama & Surroundings • Bamboo Grove • Otagi Nenbutsuji • Tenjuan Temple • Arashiyama Miffy Sakura Kitchen • Kimono Rental (Kyoetsu)

🗓️ Day 11 – Day Trip to Nara • Nara Park • Todai-ji Temple • Kasuga Taisha Shrine • Return to Kyoto at night

🗓️ Day 12 – Kinkaku-ji + Relax • Kinkaku-ji (Golden Pavilion) • Kyoto Gyoen National Garden • Rest in the evening

⸻

🎎 Days 13 to 15 – Osaka

🗓️ Day 13 – Namba + Dotonbori • Dotonbori • GIGO Osaka • Pokémon Café • Namba Yasaka Shrine

🗓️ Day 14 – Castles & Pop Culture • Osaka Castle • America-mura • ONE PIECE Store

🗓️ Day 15 – (To be decided)

⸻

🏙 Days 16 to 20 – Final Days in Tokyo

🗓️ Day 16 – (To be decided)

🗓️ Day 17 – Odaiba • teamLab Planets or Borderless • DiverCity Tokyo Plaza (Giant Gundam) • Joypolis, Unko Museum, Aqua City

🗓️ Day 18 – Kichijoji + Ghibli Museum • Ghibli Museum (advance reservation required) • Exploring Kichijoji (Inokashira Park, cafés & shops)

🗓️ Day 19 – Shopping + Final Sightseeing • DAISO • Don Quijote • Dr. Martens • Ghibli Store (Donguri Kyowakoku) • ONE PIECE, Sanrio & souvenirs

🗓️ Day 20 – Free Day & Farewell • Revisit a favorite area or do last-minute shopping

⸻

🛫 Day 21 – Flight Back to Brazil

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/latot on 2025-04-01 13:49:38+00:00.

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I actually posted this a few days ago but I think it got caught up in the automod, so hopefully it's better this time.

My younger brother (early 20s) and I (mid 30s) are doing our first trip to Japan this October and could use a sanity check on our rough itinerary. We've booked the travel to Japan, and that's about it so far. We're going to look at hotels and rail travel shortly, but wanted to make sure that what we're planning makes sense first.

Although we have this broken down into days, the "things we want to do" are not necessarily planned for those days in particular, just things we want to do the most. We broke them down very roughly during our planning as potential segmentations, but we're happy to move them around if you have any recommendations.

| Date | Location | Notes | |

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| | 30/09/2025 | Tokyo | Arrive Tokyo 10.55am - spend the day jetlagged and just taking it easy / walking around | | 01/10/2025 | Tokyo | Shinjuku (Gyoen Park, Imperial Palace) - Shibuya (Shibuya Scramble, Meiji Jingu, Yoyogi Park) | | 02/10/2025 | Tokyo | Akihabara - Asakusa (Sensoji, Tokyo Skytree) | | 03/10/2025 | Tokyo > Hiroshima | Long train - not much happening on this day - Okonomiyaki Dinner | | 04/10/2025 | Hiroshima | Peace Memorial Museum - Peace Park - Atomic Bomb Dome - Hiroshima castle - Orizuru Tower - Mega Spoon | | 05/10/2025 | Hiroshima / Miyajima | Itsukushima Shrine - Deer - Ropeway Mt Misen - Daishoin Temple - Henjo Cave | | 06/10/2025 | Hiroshima > Osaka | Osaka Castle - Shitenno-ji Temple - Sumiyoshi Taisha - Umeda Skybuilding | | 07/10/2025 | Osaka / Himeji / Kobe | Himeji Castle - Koko-en garden - Kobe Kitano-cho district - Kobe Nunobiki ropeway / waterfall | | 08/10/2025 | Osaka / USJ | Universal Studios Japan | | 09/10/2025 | Osaka > Nara | Nara Deer Park - Todai-Ji - Kofukuji - Kasuga shrine | | 10/10/2025 | Osaka | Aquarium - Isshin-ji - Shinsekai - Dotonbori - Harukas 300 | | 11/10/2025 | Osaka > Kyoto | Suntory Yamazaki Distillery - Nishiki Markets | | 12/10/2025 | Kyoto | Kiyomizu-dera Temple - Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine - Okazaki Shrine - Hokan-ji Temple - Murinan Garden | | 13/10/2025 | Kyoto | Arashiyama Bamboo Forest - Tenryu-ji - Tahoden - Kinkaku-ji - Iwatayama Monkey Park | | 14/10/2025 | Kyoto | Samurai Ninja Museum - Higashiyama Jisho-ji - Imperial Palace and gardens | | 15/10/2025 | Kyoto > Hakone | Ashi Lake - Hakone Shrine - Open Air Museum - Onsen Hotel | | 16/10/2025 | Hakone > Tokyo | Ghibli Museum | | 17/10/2025 | Tokyo | DisneySea | | 18/10/2025 | Tokyo | Ueno (National Park) | | 19/10/2025 | Tokyo | Minato City (Tokyo Tower, Teamlabs Borderless, Sky Lounge Stellar Garden) | | 20/10/2025 | Tokyo | Harajuku | | 21/10/2025 | Tokyo > home | 13:05 Travel home |

In general we're fairly relaxed and like to take things as they come, so we've listed all the "must do" things, and then otherwise we plan to just walk around and take in the sights. We're planning to add a bunch of cool things to Google Maps and if they're nearby and we have time, we can do those. We both enjoy cityscapes, historical architecture, nature. We're both into anime and games too. So there's quite a lot we're interested in, really. If there's anything on here you think is overrated, or anything we've missed out you recommend, please do let us know.

Otherwise, just looking to make sure this all makes sense in terms of time spent in the various places, etc. We haven't really looked into rail passes, phone/internet cards, or currency/spending money just yet, so if you have any pointers for those, that would be good too! And any other recommendations or advice you have would be great!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Meadcookie on 2025-03-31 15:22:53+00:00.

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I'm traveling to Japan for my honeymoon and found this subreddit by chance, and really like the idea of people getting feedback on their itineraries. It'll be our first trip to Japan, and some of our plans are based on advice from close friends who went there last year. We're both quite active and healthy, so I don't expect any limitations regarding walking distances or stamina.

20/05 (Tue): Arrival at Haneda at 8 am. Money exchange, getting a Suica, activating our SIMs, all that. Transfer to our hotel in Asakusa (likely by monorail and Japan Railways, but I'm happy to hear your recommendations). In the afternoon, Ikebukuro and Nakano Broadway, assuming we are in good shape.

21/05 (Wed): Asakusa. Senso-Ji and the Asakusa shrine, then Tokyo Skytree and the nearby Sumida aquarium. If there's time, we'll explore Kappabashi at some point. Dinner at Ninja Tokyo.

22/05 (Thu): Morning: Explore Nippori fabric town until ~ noon. Then a guided tour of Akihabara, where we'll likely spend the rest of the day.

23/05 (Fri): Harajuku. Cosplay shops, Square Enix cafe, the national garden... then, in the evening/night, Yojogi Night Market and Kabukicho (assuming there is time for both - if not, Kabukicho will be explored another night).

24/05 (Sat): Shibuya. Shibuya crossing, then the Meiji shrine. Dinner in Ginza. I think this day still has plenty of time left for more program points, or just plain old free roaming.

25/05 (Sun): Toyosu market in the morning. Lunch somewhere nearby, then on to Teamlab Planets at ~ 1 pm. Some more exploration in that area (suggestions welcome!), then off to Kinshi park, where the Nikuon (a meat and music festival) will take place.

26/05 (Mo): Shinkansen to Kyoto, check-in at the hotel (~ 1 pm). Nishiki market, then Kiyomizu and its surroundings (assuming we have enough time until dinner at the ryokan...).

27/05 (Tue): Fushimi! Guided tour through a sake brewery in the morning, followed by a tasting and a brief stop at the Terada Inn. Then on to Fushimi Inari and Tofoku-Ji.

28/05 (Wed): Arashiyama. First, we'll head to Torokko for a roundtrip with the Romantic Train. Next stop is the bamboo forest, and nearby sights like Adashino graveyard and Tenryu-ji. On the way back, we'll explore Kyoto's main station and surroundings (the "ramen street" and the pokemon center for sure).

29/05 (Thu): Nijo castle and the imperial palace (assuming we get tickets that day!). If not, or if there's time, Imamiya shrine and the imperial gardens. In the afternoon, another guided tour through a sake brewery.

30/05 (Fri): Shinkansen to Osaka, check-in, yada yada. Free exploration in Osaka, focusing on Dotombori and Shinsaibashi. Would like to roam along the canal and see Tsutenkaku.

31/05 (Sat): Universal Studios! That'll take the entire day. Maybe there's time for the close-by takoyaki museum and Universal city.

01/06 (Sun): Nara! Will head there early in the morning and just explore. Likely going to see Todai-ji, Wakakusa, Naramachi, and whatever is in-between. No idea if this will take all day - if not, there's more nighttime Osaka exploration planned.

02/06 (Mo): Shinkansen back to Tokyo, where we booked a stay in a hotel directly at Haneda. Probably going to explore Haneda itself and/or the nearby seaside park. Or just kick back in the hotel.

03/06 (Tue): Flight back home at 10 am.

And that's it! I'd love to hear your feedback on what days may be unrealisticly full, or, for the opposite, more empty days, what other activities you would recommend.

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Routine-Race3913 on 2025-03-30 21:55:35+00:00.

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Hi everyone, my friend and I finally completed planning my itinerary for Japan! We chose to do only Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto because this is my first time, and I plan on returning eventually (I also love photography, so I will spend a lot of time snapping photos). This is pretty detailed and long so please forgive me lol. Feel free to critique or give advice!

Day 1: Arrive at Hotel in Ueno

• Combini run and then sleep because of jetlag

Day 2: Ginza, Roppongi, Tokyo Tower, and teamLab Borderless

• Tsukiji Outer Market

• Explore Ginza (Uniqlo, GU, Loft, Character Street)

• Head over to Roppongi Hills and explore

• The National Art Center

• teamLab Borderless

• Tokyo Tower at night

Day 3: Shibuya and Shinjuku

• Hachiko Memorial Statue

• Scramble crossing

• Mega Don Quijote

• Shibuya Hikarie

• Pokemon center and Nintendo store

• Shinjuku Omoide Yokocho

• Kabukicho

Day 4: Sensoji, Ueno, and Akihabara

• Sensoji temple

• Sumida River

• Ueno Ameyoko shopping street

• Ueno Park

• Akihabara exploration

Day 5: Yokohama day trip

• Red Brick Warehouse

• Cup Noodles Museum

• Yamashita Park

• Chinatown

Day 6: Kamakura day trip

• Garden House Kamakura

• Hokokuji temple

• Hokokuji Bamboo Forest

• Tsurugaoka Hachimangu

• Hasedera

• Kotoku-in temple

• Kamakura Yuigahama Beach

• Inamuragasaki

Day 7: Shibuya/Shinjuku again OR somewhere else (for the food)!

• Meiji Jingu

• Yoyogi Park

• Takeshita Dori Street

• Harajuku

• Ometsando Crossing Park

• Head to Shinjuku for evening

Day 8: Restaurant reservations and very chill day

• Whatever we want to do between restaurant reservations, probably head back to somewhere we enjoyed

Day 9: Head to Osaka

• Explore surrounding area near hotel

Day 10: Osaka Day 1

• Osaka Castle

• Osaka Tenmangu Shrine

• Shintennoji temple

• Shin Sekai

• Abeno Harukas

Day 11: Osaka Day 2

• Minoh National Park

• Explore Dotonbori and eat great food

• teamLab gardens (maybe)

Day 12: Osaka Day 3

• Namba Yasaka Jinga

• Nipponbashi Denden Town

• Dotonbori again!

• Hozenji Yokocho

Day 13: Kyoto Travel

• Explore surrounding area near hotel

Day 14: Fushimi Inari, Gion and more

• Fushimi Inari Taisha

• Yasaka Pagado sight-seeing

• Kiyomizu-dera

• Nishiki Market

• Explore Gion

• Restaurant reservation

Day 15: Nara Day Trip

• Nara Park

• Todaiji temple

• Kasugataisha Shrine

Day 16: Arashiyama

• Togetsukyo Bridge

• Arashiyama Bamboo Forest

• Tenryuji Temple Shigetsu

• Monkey Park

• Explore Arashiyama

Day 17: Back in Tokyo to meet up with friends!

• Spend the day with other friends in Japan

Day 18: Flight back home

• Chill at hotel and head to airport for flight

Any advice or critique is much appreciated!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/codymartinwilson on 2025-03-31 09:38:36+00:00.

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My girlfriend and I just got back from our Japan trip. I had posted our tentative itinerary before and I have to say the users who commented were right about it being ambitious. We had to cut a couple of things, below is what we did each day and some insights:

3/15: We flew from PBI to ATL, from ATL to HND

3/16: Stormy weather altered out flight and delayed our arrival from 2pm to 5pm, after picking up our pocket wifi and going through customs we didn't have time for our intended plans and settled for checking into our hotel in Shinjuku, seeing the Godzilla statue, and getting sushi.

3/17: We were up pretty early and made our way to Ikebukuro to find the Fullmetal Alchemist pop up Cafe and check out the Sunshine City Pokemon Center. The dishes and merch at the Fullmetal Cafe were a fanboys dream and we got some Pokemon merch as well. After that we went to the Kichioji Totoro Cream Puff Cafe (small location) and the Ghibli Museum. The cream puff were good and the museum was fun, but the merch didn't jump out at us. We met up with one of my Japanese teachers and his son afterwards and had some ice cream and played arcade games. We wrapped up the evening by going to Parco Shibuya and getting goodies from the Nintendo store. We were excited about the Pikmin selection!

3/18: We went on a Mt. Fuji day trip. We took a bus out to a park (the one with the five story pagoda), Lake Kawaguchi, and Lake Yamanaka. The views of Mt. Fuji were stunning! Other highlights include eating a Fuji apple in front of Mt. Fuji and the Kawaguchiko soft serve ice cream. In the evening we went to the Pokemon Store in Tokyo Station and the nearby Pokemon Center. They had a better selection including a limited edition ninja and cherry blossom Pikachu plush

3/19: We left in the morning for Izu to begin our pilgrimage based on Yuru Camp. We missed our intended train but had some help from a friendly local to get us back on track. We picked up our car near Ito station and drove to the Tombolo Land Bridge (luckily it was low tide and we walked across most of it), the Ryugu Sea Cave, and Cape Tsumeki. The sights were beautiful and the Tombolo Land Bridge was probably our favorite of the day. Driving on the opposite side of the road on narrow roads was a bit white-knuckle, but worth it! The cherry blossoms were also the fullest here.

3/20: We started our day by heading to the Orange Center where a small crowd was waiting for the store to open. Once we were inside we were delighted to see the Yuru Camp merchandise and signage. They really leaned into it! After that we went to the Izu Shaboten Zoo for the Capybara onsen. Pleasant surprise: there were many exhibits beyond the Capybara. Unpleasant surprise: by the time we got to the onsen the capybaras had relieved themselves in it. A lot. After that we did the lifts and walked around the summit of Mt. Omuro. We met a friendly family in line and had a nice conversation about anime and cherry blossoms.We returned the car and headed back to the hotel. The property manager picked us up from the station which had 1 IC card reader. Small town!

3/21: We headed for Kyoto and we're allowed an early check in. Almost wasn't early due to a bus mishap (eventually we got a better grip of the buses). We went to the Nishiki Market to get an engraved knife and enjoyed some of the good stalls. We were surprised to see that the Nintendo store had opened a location nearby and had fun with that, afterward we went to Kiyomizu-dera which was extra crowded but worth it. We got some nice souvenirs from a nearby vendor.

3/22: We started early with a hike up Fushimi Inari and then did the rest of the day in Arashiyama. We went to the monkey Park, the Rilakkuma cafe, and did the Sagano Romantic Train and Hozugawa Boat Ride. The staff at the train and Boat Ride were both funny and enjoyable. There was also a pop up store for Nikke that had nice souvenirs for a friend of mine!

3/23: We took an Osaka day trip for the USJ and Dotonbori. We could only get a 3:20 timed entry for Super Nintendo World so we spent most of our time at the rest of the park. I hadn't known USJ was collabing with Detective Conan, but was pleasantly surprised. The live show and roller coaster tie in were cute. We also did the Snoopy and Hello Kitty stuff, which had a festive Easter theme. As for Super Nintendo World we only had time for the new Donkey Kong ride, which was almost worth the 150 minute wait! The food at Dotonbori was great and we friended the guy sitting next to us at the okonomiyaki restaurant on Pokemon Go. Our phones were dying on the way back to the hotel, but we got some helpful pointers and made great conversation with a mother and elementary aged daughter on the train as we headed back. They gave us some cherry blossom sweets and we have them a plush from a Hamtaro gachapon machine.

3/24: We did a day trip to Nagoya for the Ghibli Park. I had a ticket mishap and didn't get to go a couple years ago. We had the premium passes which allow entry to each area of the park and they were totally worth it! We made in into most of the attractions. Some highlights include: the photo ops with the movie characters at the Ghibli Grand Warehouse, going into Satsuki and Mei's house, and the cooking experience in Mononoke village.

3/25: We made our way for Hiroshima on the Hello Kitty Shinkansen! The one we got seemed to be mostly converted from a regular train, but the back cars weren't done yet. The signage, photo op, and shop at the front were all worth it though. When we arrived in Hiroshima we didn't have time for much but we did the Bomb Memorial Museum and had Hiroshima style okonomiyaki. The museum was powerful in a way similar to the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. seeing what the city had been reduced to and hearing tales of the people who lived through it was heartbreaking, but seeing how the city has rebuilt itself provided a sense of hope. As okonomiyaki is concerned, we agreed that we like Hiroshima style better than Osaka style.

3/26: We took the ferry to Miyajima and did the circuit. We saw the shrines, temples, climbed the mountain and took the ropeway down. If I'm honest, I felt like Miyajima was overrated and would have probably liked another day in Hiroshima better. The mountain climb was quite a workout and the deer were cute.

3/27: We headed back to Tokyo intending to do the Snoopy Museum on the way back and going to Tokyo Tower and Lost (the Abroad In Japan bar) afterward. It turned out the Snoopy Meseum was fully booked, but we scored a reservation for out last day. Also, a friend scored us last minute reservations for the Pokemon Cafe (which is often booked way in advance) which we ended up doing instead of our Tokyo Tower reservation. The Pokemon Cafe was cute. They had some unique merch and the dining experience was complete with Pokemon placemats, Pokemon menu items, and a song and dance show with a giant Pikachu. It perfectly met expectations. Lost was nice as well! We had to wait a bit to get in, but we had friendly wait staff and enjoyed talking with other travelers about our trips.

3/28: Our last day began with getting our luggage into coin lockers, then heading for the Snoopy Museum. It was very charming! There was a room full of the varied Peanuts merchandise fans have shared over the years and detailed exhibits about the history of the characters and Charles Scultz, the author. We would have liked to eat at the attached restaurant, but that required a separate reservation. We went to Ueno Park to do cherry blossom viewing with another Japanese teachers of mine. The flowers were in almost full bloom and the food from the vendors was mostly good. After we said goodbye, we went to the airport and flew home.

Notes: Assume everything has a reservation until you have proven it doesn't.

Going to a smaller city (and driving in it) makes for a unique experience and is worth it!

If the JR calculator says you'll save money grab it! Beyond the bullet trains a lot of money could be saved in IC card fees in Tokyo for instance.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to answer them as best I can!

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Bossball4 on 2025-03-29 16:23:54+00:00.

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After hearing about a future solo trip to Japan I had booked flights for, my parents (namely mother) wanted to join in. I begrudgingly agreed and was then tasked with making the whole itinerary. In trying to probe my parents for info, my mom wanted nature, to spend as little time in Tokyo as possible with a go-go-go itinerary, and to eat from the supermarkets almost every day when I said that “most meals being <$10 USD” was too expensive for her. My dad likes samurai and to just take it easy. I am more go than slow, mostly interested in food, and like anime. A train wreck of clashing ideals, if you haven’t picked it up. The short 8 days is due to flights from MSP to HND going down to only $890 nonstop!! I’ve never seen prices that low (usually $1,000-1,500 nonstop), so my parents pushed to make this trip happen.

Day 0: Landing in Haneda (HND) and using the QR codes went well! Next time I’m having my parents do their electronic forms on their own devices instead so I’m not holding my iPad to scan 3 QR codes. I never use my cell phone (I use TracFone and literally 1GB of data every 3 months), so a Pocket WiFi was the clear choice so my parents and I could stay connected as we travel as a unit (using <3GB data/day except one day where we used 4GB). Picking the PocketWiFi from NinjaWiFi went well, our Welcome Suica cards there + JR Rail Passes from the JR Travel Center too! Their line was shorter than the kiosk. Currency was exchanged at the airport.

Off to the monorail we went, with a smooth transfer to the JK Line to get to our hotel: JR Super Ueno Iriya Exit. It was a <5 min walk from that exit of Ueno Station and ~10 minute walk from all Ticket Gates to Hotel. I took a quick walk to Ueno Park to snag a Shrine Stamp Book, but it was too close to 5pm and was closed at the shrine I went to. We had a hearty FamilyMart supper since the one nearby had seats, before walking around the supermarkets in/near Ueno Station.

Day 1: Our hotel had free breakfast starting at 6:30 or 7. We walked around Ameyoko which is dead in the early morning by the way before heading back into Ueno Park. There were a few sakura trees in bloom at the south side, and I got my shrine stamp book.

Train to Shimbashi later, we went up to a building with fancy restaurants on the 46th+ floor. There, we got free views outside before heading downstairs into the small Oi Ocha museum. We took a bus to the Kill Bill restaurant for lunch, having decently valued set meals while my dad marveled at seeing a setting from a movie we watched earlier this year. One more bus takes us to Azabudai Hills for our time slot at Teamlab Borderless (reserved prior) which was cool! In lieu of the full senses of Planets, you get exhibits which transcend rooms (my favorite was the waterfall and fish tank where your drawing becomes a fish). We walk to see Tokyo Tower and Hie Shrine.

Supper has us at Iwashiya around 5pm or earlier? It was nearly dead empty and I had a good udon there! My dad got a tempura egg since neither of my parents were hungry. Afterwards, we ride all the way to Yokohama to stay at a capsule hotel (Yokohama Capsule+) before waking up early tomorrow.

17.3K steps

Day 2: By this point of the trip and until flying back, my lips were quite dry and were regularly bleeding. I drank some water and tea everyday, but didn’t have clutch vending machine drinks as much as maybe what was required for hydration. Our JR Rail Passes we reserved began today.

From another redditor, we found out that there was a bookable tour of Yokohama’s fish market which was a chilly time (and we were the only 3 on the tour that day). Due to bad weather earlier in the week, there were not as many fish, but we still got to see sea butterflies, tuna, their deep freezers, and more.

A train back to Shinjuku allows us to buy our Hakone Free Passes for tomorrow before heading to a perfectly affordable lunch w/ a view of Mt. Fuji at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building!

We rested at our hotel for the remainder of the day. Parents walked around the hotel while I went to a sento nearby.

22k steps.

Day 3: Today’s all about Hakone, with Amazake Chaya leading the snowy day. It hailed briefly, but it didn’t stop us from waiting in line to take pictures at the Hakone Shrine on the lake. 7-Eleven lunch. We pretty much did the Hakone Course clockwise, making sure to enjoy some black eggs at Owakudani. We also relaxed at Hakone Yuryo, where the outdoor baths with the light snow/slush was perfect for me! FamilyMart supper to end the day.

16k steps.

Day 4: An early Shinkansen takes us to Sendai, with the Earthquake Heritage Arahama Elementary School being our first stop reminding us of how devastating nature can be. We had gyutan (beef tongue) at Gyutan Tsukasa Sendai East Exit with a short wait in line before enjoying a Zunda Shake (and buying Zunda Shake KitKats?!) inside Sendai Station.

We took a bus to a couple of Date Masamune things, but decided not to climb all those steps and head back to Tokyo early. We stop at the Daimaru Supermarket where I got 60% off on a singular white strawberry, a steal! Dad & I had Oysters, Sashimi, & Sake @ Uo Kusa for supper before eating our Half Priced Supermarket Haul (Hairy Crab, Sushi, Unagi) for Supper in our hotel room.

16k steps.

Day 5: We take a few trains to Mt. Takao before a bus to… the Kosegawa Plum Grove!! Only open 2 weeks of the year, it’s filled with blooming plum trees, filling the entire grove with the smell of plum (wine). A truly memorable experience if you are in Japan the first half of March. There was also a single guy at the top of the grove selling what appeared to be homemade Sakura mochi and other treats! Our family spent about ¥2000 on treats which were a delight! We went back and through to the base of Mt. Takao.

My dad has a bad knee so we didn’t hike up the mountain (or pay to take the cable car up it), so we explored: eating cremia ice cream, the 599 Takao Museum, and taking a break. Where? Keio Takaosan Onsen Gokurakuyu! While it can be tricky to get to (nevermind a secret tunnel that's in the station), it's cozy and worth the visit thanks to its variety of baths. We go over to Eco Town, where I got some souvenir items for cheap (although Hard Off was partially closed). Then we had supper at Sushi-ro, which had a Haikyuu collab going on! I had a lot, plus some Suntory Sui gin, so something poisoned the water hole...

Day 6: We were supposed to go to Kanazawa, but due to something from Sushi-ro(?), I got food poisoning. I could not eat anything the whole day. I threw up my breakfast on the Shinkansen, and then threw up water in round 2. I was eventually able to keep water and hot tea down the whole day. Tragedy doesn’t end, though, and my dad lost his iPad on the train when we were turning around @ Itoigawa. To retrieve it, we take the next train forward to Kanazawa (I had enough energy to snag an eki stamp). Then we took the next train back to Ueno (losing 2-3 hours in the process).

I spent the rest of the day resting in the hotel room while my parents walked around Ueno Station… A total loss of a day.

Day 7: With my appetite returning, we head into Tsukiji Outer Market to buy cheap packaged scallops. Next is Ginza to walk through the UniQlo flagship store (no purchases made) before eating a cozy cheap beef bowl at the Yurakucho Yoshinoya for lunch. We Yamanote Line over to Shibuya Crossing before going back to the Tokyo National Museum (which my mother sat out for). I take a solo walk to Ocachimachi: found the canned drink with lemon slice & a milk vending machine!

Day 8: The last day! We go to Asakusa for walking & buying. In HND, we go to 7-Eleven to clean out our Welcome Suica cards. A string of curses hit: Flight delay & my mom forgot her backpack (jacket, thermos, iPad Mini cable), a minor loss but still a mood killer. We were unable to get it back before our flight back to USA left.

So, what have we learned? My mother thinks this was the worst family vacation we went on & that Japan was too expensive (food* + transportation + hotel). My dad thinks that it was alright (mostly dragged down by mom). I think the most important takeaways are:

• DRINK WATER / STAY HYDRATED
• Double check your belongings, always
• Sometimes we couldn’t sit together in a row of 3, so beware and be fast to get a non-reserved seat on the Shinkansen.
• The hot drinks are clutch for feeling better (I loved the honey lemon tea personally)
• You can get a green Suica card in other train stations by looking for “Commuter Pass” (at least in Ueno) to be listed at an electronic kiosk.

The trip could have gone better, but given everything that I had to plan for and deal with, it was still a great time for me! -v-

This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/LAtrafficguy on 2025-03-29 00:21:20+00:00.

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My family and I just returned from a 12 day vacation to Japan. The following is a summary of our trip including recommendations and some advice for future travelers:

Day 0: Flew ZipAir from LAX to NRT. Experience is bare bones but airplane was clean, comfortable, and on time. At NRT, I pulled out ¥40,000 from an ATM, bought two Welcome Suica cards from the self-service machine at the JR station and loaded ¥5,000 on each (Note: children under 6 can ride pretty much all public transportation for free, so my daughter did not need a card). We then took the Keisei Skyliner into Tokyo. I bought the Keisei tickets online in advance to take advance of the discounted price, and the face recognition at the airport station which means not having to wait in line to get tickets. Note that children under 6 can also ride long-distance trains including the Shinkansen trains for free, but only in unreserved cars. Some trains are reserved cars only including the Keisei, and unless you want your kid in your lap, for reserved seat-only trains, get them their own seat (which is generally half the price of an adult ticket). We got off the train at Nippori station and rode the Nippori-Toneri Liner to Nishi-Nippori where we walked to our hotel: Fav Hotel Nishi Nippori. This is a pretty random area of Tokyo but it has plenty of stores nearby for essentials and sits at the crossroads of numerous train connections including the Yamanote and Chiyoda Line of the Tokyo Subway. I personally like staying in random neighborhoods that are well connected to other parts of the city where you are planning to go. This hotel was simple, room was compact but well appointed, clean, and modern, and the room featured a sort of mezzanine/bunk-bed which was perfect for the kid. After unpacking, we took the Yamanote to Ikebukuro and had dinner at Konana Lumine (Japanese-style pasta).

Day 1: This was the only bad-weather day of the trip. It was raining solid throughout the day but we opted to still go to Asakusa to see Senso-ji Temple and despite the umbrellas, crowds were thinner than normal and it was enjoyable. We grabbed some matcha teas at nearby Hatoya (excellent) and then had French-Japanese fusion buckwheat pancakes and cider at Fleur de Sarrasin (delicious). We took taxis (generally using the apps but sometimes by just hailing) whenever we didn't feel like taking the train, if it was going to require lots of connections, if the kid fell asleep (we did not bring a stroller), or if the weather was bad, and I highly recommend this, as they are cheap for short rides (do not take them from one city to another or to NRT or some ridiculous distance as the price will then be equally ridiculous). We then headed back to the hotel to recharge. My wife went for a wood bath (one of three spa-type experiences) and we then all met at the Tokyo Dome to see Cubs vs. Yomiuri Giants as part of the Tokyo MLB series exhibition games. I highly recommend going to a baseball game if teams are playing during your trip.

Day 2: To take advantage of the jet lag and seeing as I wanted to get to DisneySea early to get in line, I decided to first head to Daiwa Sushi for a 6 AM sushi breakfast (excellent). I got to DisneySea around 7:30 AM and there were already pretty long lines. My wife and kid took a taxi to meet me in line around 8:30 (this taxi ride was semi-expensive but worth them having a one seat ride and sleeping in a little more). We got into the park and were able to pretty much ride anything we wanted to except Anna and Elsa. I think this is the only ride that really requires you to get there very very early if you want to ride it. I realize you won't need a pass to ride it starting next month but I imagine the standby line will have several hours-long wait times. We rented a stroller in the park which was well worth it as there is a lot of walking, standing, which is a lot for a 4 year old, especially after such a long journey a couple days before.

Day 3: We did TeamLabs Borderless in the morning, and had lunch at a spot in the sprawling Azabudai Hills complex which has many restaurant options. We then went over to nearby Roppongi to soak in the views from the Mori Tower observation deck (highly recommend it, and not crowded at all). We then went downstairs to explore Mohri Garden (small but very pretty) and nearby Sakurazaka Park (robot-themed). For little ones, it is especially beneficial to incorporate lots of park/playground time for them to stretch their legs, play, and interact with local kids or other travelers. My wife then went to get a head/scalp massage, and we all met up later in Ginza. We checked out the Sony Park Ginza space which is free but requires reservations. It was interesting but also a little weird. For dinner, we went to Shari in Ginza which was a great spot for a variety of Japanese food including some rolls and other fusion-y stuff.

Day 4: Took the Shinkansen to Kyoto. I booked unreserved seats (x2) in advance using the SmartEX app, and linked them to the Suica cards so we could just tap them at the fare gates. You do not need to reserve seats on these trains outside of some unique peak periods; this will save you some money. Buying the tickets in advance saves you having to wait in line at the stations and there are discounts (Hayatoku-21). You can then get on any train of the class you reserved for (I recommend Nozomi as these are the fastest and they basically run every 10 minutes). If you can't get seats together, just wait for the next one, it's that simple. Nozomis generally have two unreserved seat cars at the front of the train. Because we'd be walking a lot the next few days, we rented a stroller from MK Travel opposite Kyoto Station. We stayed at the Hyatt Place Kyoto (excellent and great point redemption value for WOH members), which is connected to Kyoto Station via the Karasuma Line subway. We checked in, dropped our bags off, and took a taxi to Kiyomizu-dera Temple. After exploring it, we walked down Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka streets and stopped at quieter Kodai-ji temple which has its own small bamboo forest. We then took a taxi back toward central Kyoto and saw the theater show Gear (highly recommend it and you need to buy tickets in advance).

Day 5: We did a day trip to Nara and Uji via trains which you can use your Suica cards to board. In Nara, we walked through the Nara Deer Park, visited Todai-ji Temple, and had lunch at Big Mountain Cafe and Farm (tasty). We then caught a train to Uji and walked down the small streets, sampling matcha tea and desserts. We then headed back to Kyoto where we had dinner at Futagoya in Pontocho alley.

Day 6: We forwarded our larger bags to the Hyatt in Kanazawa via the Hyatt in Kyoto. I highly recommend using bag forwarding to lighten your load whenever it makes sense (as you are thinning down your supplies, and when you have transit days where you don't want to haul all your bags, even if they are carry-on sized like ours were. We then took a day trip to Osaka where we started off with a visit to Kids Plaza Osaka (highly recommended, great for younger children). We had lunch in the nearby park where there were several food festivals happening at the same time, and then took the subway to the Aquarium (excellent and so cheap compared to those in the US). We then made a quick stop in Dotonbori for some photos and then took the subway back up to Umeda and had dinner at a restaurant inside the Grand Front mall (sprawling with many dining options, especially north tower, 6F).

Day 7: After a little park time at Umekoji Park (which is charming), we caught the Shinkansen train (with one transfer) to Kanazawa. I got a massage inside the Raffine store inside the station, and we then went to dinner at Coil which is an interesting minimalist restaurant where you can make your own maki rolls. We stayed two nights in Kanzawa at the Hyatt Centric.

Day 8: We explored Kanazawa and started with the famous Kenroku-en garden which is beautiful. We had lunch at the nearby charming Coffee Stand Hana and then walked over to Sofuan for a private tea ceremony, which was interesting and fun, even for the kid. After some more park/playground time, we headed back to the hotel and later on had dinner at Handmade Udon Kineya M'ZA.

Day 9: We again forwarded some of our luggage (what we no longer needed), this time straight to HND via our hotel. We took a taxi to the Nagamachi District to visit the Samurai Residence which is beautiful and interesting, including the small but spectacular inner garden, and then had gold leaf ice cream across the street (one of the things Kanazawa is known for). The gold leaf didn't really taste like anything but it was fun nonetheless. We then headed back to the station to catch the Shinkansen to Nagano. Kanazawa was probably my favorite city, just because of its overall vibe (more relaxed than Tokyo or Kyoto but still packed with fun and interesting sights, foods, etc.). After arriving at Nagano Station, we boarded the Snow Monkey express bus which would take us to the Snow Monkey Park entrance, steps away from our lodging. We stayed at the marvelous Hotarutei Villas for one night. I can't recommend this place enough. It is a splurge but the food, hospitality, and the villas themselves with their private onsens are well worth it. The stay included a fantastic Kaiseki dinner and breakfast.

Day 10: From the villa, we walked to the Snow Monkey park which is about a ...

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This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.

The original was posted on /r/japantravel by /u/Monkeyfeng on 2025-03-28 19:07:48+00:00.

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The new Nintendo Museum in Uji was a huge disappointment. I recently visited, and honestly, I couldn’t believe how underwhelming the experience was. I went in expecting to learn more about Nintendo’s rich company history and the people who helped shape it into the powerhouse it is today. However, I left feeling like the entire place was pointless.

Instead of offering insights into the company’s evolution, its culture, or its products, the museum is simply a collection of glass displays featuring Nintendo’s various products. There are no information placards, explanations, or context next to the displays. It’s essentially a giant showcase designed solely to tap into nostalgia, with no substance behind it.

When I first entered and rode the escalator to the second floor, I was initially impressed by the product displays. But as I looked around, I couldn’t understand why there wasn’t any accompanying information. I assumed the historical context must be in another section, so I went downstairs, thinking the second floor might just be the display area. Unfortunately, downstairs is just a series of random interactive games—things like hitting wiffle balls in a living room or playing classic Nintendo games on an oversized controller.

Nintendo is a company that has been around for over 100 years, originally making playing cards and then transitioning into board games and video games. The company’s history is fascinating, but you won’t learn a single thing about it at this museum. If you want to know about Nintendo, you’re better off reading their Wikipedia page.

I’ve visited many other company museums in Japan, like those of Toyota, Kirin, and Asahi, all of which have detailed displays about their histories, leaders, and product development. The Nintendo Museum, however, has none of that. It left me wondering—does Nintendo not have a company historian? With the amount of security and staff present, I expected much more. The whole museum feels like a lazy cash grab. Sure, the gift shop had some cool souvenirs, but that's about it. Everything else was a huge letdown.

TL;DR: The Nintendo Museum has an impressive collection of products but offers no information about the company’s history, its people, or the development of its products. It's a waste of time for anyone hoping to learn about Nintendo. However, if you're just looking for a nostalgic trip down memory lane, you might enjoy it.